A.R.E. Blog

Preparation for Jesus (Part 2)From the Edgar Cayce Readings

The story of the preparation for the birth of Jesus as told in the Edgar Cayce Readings provides some amazing details to the life of Mary and Joseph and their selection as the parents of Jesus. Edgar Cayce spoke about the Essenes, a spiritual community whose presence has since been confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered after Mr. Cayce’s death. Here are some excerpts about the marriage of Mary and Joseph:

Q) In what manner was Joseph informed of his part in the birth of Jesus? A) First by Mathias or Judah. Then as this did not coincide with his own feelings, first in a dream and then the direct voice.

And whenever the voice, this always is accompanied with odors as well as lights; and oft the description of the lights is the vision, see?

Q) Why was he disturbed when Mary became with child while yet a virgin? A) Owing to his natural surroundings and because of his advanced age to that of the virgin when she was given; or as would be termed in the present, because of what people say. Yet when assured, you see, that this was the divine, not only by his brethren but by the voice and by those experiences, he knew. For you see there was from the time of the first promise, while she was still yet in training from the choice, there was a period of some three to four years; yet when he went to claim her as the bride, at the period of—or between sixteen and seventeen, she was found with child.

Q) How old was Joseph at the time of the marriage? A) Thirty-six.

Q) How old was Mary at the time of the marriage? A) Sixteen…

Q) Where was the wedding performed? of Mary and Joseph? A) In the temple there at Carmel.

Edgar Cayce Reading 5749-8

Q) Please describe the Essene wedding, in temple, of Mary and Joseph, giving the form of ceremony and customs at that time.A) This followed very closely the form outlined in Ruth. It was not in any way a supplanting but a cherishing of the sincerity of purpose in the activities of individuals.

When there was to be the association, or the wedding of Joseph and Mary—Mary having been chosen as the channel by the activities indicated upon the stair, by the hovering of the angel, the enunciation to Anna and to Judy [1472] and to the rest of those in charge of the preparations at that time—then there was to be sought out the nearer of kin, though not kin in the blood relationships. Thus the lot fell upon Joseph, though he was a much older man compared to the age ordinarily attributed to Mary in the period. Thus there followed the regular ritual in the temple. For, remember, the Jews were not refrained from following their rituals. Those of the other groups, as the Egyptians or the Parthians, were not refrained from following the customs to which they had been trained; which were not carried on in the Jewish temple but rather in the general meeting place of the Essenes as a body-organization.

Edgar Cayce Reading 254-109

Q) Where did the couple live during the pregnancy? A) Mary spent the most of the time in the hills of Judea, portion of the time with Joseph in Nazareth. From there they went to Bethlehem to be taxed, or to register—as ye would term…

Q) Do we celebrate Christmas at approximately the right time? A) Not a great variation, for there having been the many changes in the accounting of time, or accounting for the periods from the various times when time is counted—not far wrong—twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth of December, as ye have your time now.

Preparation for Jesus (Part 1)
From the Edgar Cayce Readings

The story of the preparation for the birth of Jesus as told in the Edgar Cayce Readings provides some amazing details to the life of Mary and Joseph and their selection as the parents of Jesus. Edgar Cayce spoke about the Essenes, a spiritual community whose presence has since been confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered after Mr. Cayce’s death. Here are some excerpts about the training and selection of Mary:

Q) Please describe the associate membership of the women in the Essene brotherhood, telling what privileges and restrictions they had, how they joined the Order, and what their life and work was.
A) This was the beginning of the period where women were considered as equals with the men in their activities, in their abilities to formulate, to live, to be, channels.

They joined by dedication—usually by their parents.

It was a free will thing all the way thorough, but they were restricted only in the matter of certain foods and certain associations in various periods—which referred to the sex, as well as to the food or drink.

Q) How did Mary and Joseph first come in contact with the Essenes and what was their preparation for the coming of Jesus?
A) As indicated, by being dedicated by their parents.

(Q) Please describe the process of selection and training of those set aside as holy women such as Mary, Editha [587], and others as a possible mother for the Christ. How were they chosen, were they mated, and what was their life and work while they waited in the Temple?
A) They were first dedicated and then there was the choice of the individual through the growths, as to whether they would be merely channels for general services. For, these were chosen for special services at various times; as were the twelve chosen at the time, which may be used as an illustration. Remember, these came down from the periods when the school had begun, you see.

When there were the activities in which there were to be the cleansings through which bodies were to become channels…

Hence the group we refer to here as the Essenes, which was the outgrowth of the periods of preparations from the teachings by Melchizedek, as propagated by Elijah and Ilisha and Samuel. These were set aside for preserving themselves in direct line of choice for the offering of themselves as channels through which there might come the new or the divine origin, see?

Their life and work during such periods of preparation were given to alms, good deeds, missionary activities—as would be termed today…
(Edgar Cayce Reading 254-109)

Q) Give a detailed description for literary purposes, of the choosing of Mary on the temple steps.
A) The temple steps—or those that led to the altar, these were called the temple steps. These were those upon which the sun shone as it arose of a morning when there were the first periods of the chosen maidens going to the altar for prayer; as well as for the burning of the incense.

On this day, as they mounted the steps all were bathed in the morning sun; which not only made a beautiful picture but clothed all as in purple and gold.

As Mary reached the top step, then, then there were the thunder and lightning, and the angel led the way, taking the child by the hand before the altar. This was the manner of choice, this was the showing of the way; for she led the others on this particular day.

Q) Was this the orthodox Jewish temple or the Essene temple?
A) The Essenes, to be sure…

Q) How old was Mary at the time she was chosen?
A) Four; and, as ye would call, between twelve and thirteen when designated as the one chosen by the angel on the stair.

Q) Describe the training and preparation of the group of maidens.
A) Trained as to physical exercise first, trained as to mental exercises as related to chastity, purity, love, patience, endurance. All of these by what would be termed by many in the present as persecutions, but as tests for physical and mental strength; and this under the supervision of those that cared for the nourishments by the protection in the food values. These were the manners and the way they were trained, directed, protected.

Q) Were they put on special diet?
A) No wine, no fermented drink ever given. Special foods, yes. These were kept balanced according to that which had been first set by Aran [Aaron? See Leviticus 10:9 and 11:1--47] and Ra Ta.
(Edgar Cayce Reading 5749-8)

From Atlantis to the Yucatan Peninsula
By John Fuhler

Before that the entity was in the Atlantean land. There we find the entity was very close to those in authority…For it was the entity that received the message as to the needs for the dividing of the children of the Law of One for the preservation of the truths of same in other lands. Hence we find the entity was among those who were as the directors of those expeditions, or the leaving for the many varied lands just before the breaking up of the Atlantean land. Hence the entity outlined in the most part…the expedition guided by Ax-tell and the ones to the Pyrenees and to the Yucatan and to the land of Og. (Edgar Cayce Reading 1681-1)

This is one of about two dozen readings describing the emigrations to the Yucatan peninsula after the destruction of Atlantis (or Poseidia). Among those who immigrated to the Yucatan were very creative individuals, the products of whose endeavors inspired the temples and plazas which survive to this very day. Some of these strove to establish and perpetuate the Law of One, while others pursued the path of self-aggrandizement and indulgence. The readings reveal a complex story of cultures, values and peoples. Some elements of the readings have since been demonstrated by the fields of genetics, archaeology and linguistics, while other elements reflect what have become hotbeds of contention. A number of details raise questions in areas of study which have yet to be explored.

Photo credit: www.Commons.Wikimedia.org by Reywas92

The final Atlantean destruction was foreknown sufficiently that expeditions to various overseas lands were organized:

The entity was among the Princes of the land that made for the separating of those influences wherein there might be established the journeyings to other lands, with the keepings of records… (Edgar Cayce Reading 1215-4)

Before the final destruction, some ten thousand B.C., many of the inhabitants migrated to adjoining countries. The Inca and Aztec were descendants of the resulting mixtures, as were the American Indians, though a little farther removed from direct descent. (Edgar Cayce Reading 364-6 Report)

The tradition of the Mayan forebears migrating to Atlantis from the east is preserved by Diego de Landa in Relaciòn de las cosas de Yucatán, originally published in the mid-Sixteenth Century:

Some old men of Yucatán say that they heard from their ancestors that this land was settled by people who came from the East, whom God delivered by opening 12 roads for them through the sea.i

According to the readings the means of transportation included balloons and boats:

The entity then was not only one skilled in aircraft and in watercraft, as an aviator and a navigator… (Edgar Cayce Reading 1215-4)

The aircraft were described in the readings:

Much of the nature, in the EARLIER portion, as would be were the hide of MANY of the pachyderm, or elephants, many into the CONTAINERS for the gases that were used as both lifting and for the impelling of the crafts about the various portions of the continent, and even abroad. (Edgar Cayce Reading 364-6)

Other readings corroborate a specific detail of the Hopi origin myth:

Now in the Third World they multiplied in such numbers and advanced so rapidly that they created big cities, countries, a whole civilization. This made it difficult for them to conform to the plan of Creation…they began to use their creative power in another evil and destructive way…some of them made a pátuwvota [shield made of hide] and with their creative power made it fly through the air. ii

From the readings:

Before that the entity was in the Atlantean land, before there were the second of the upheavals, when there was the dividing of the islands…The unusual activities that may come with the new developments in air, in water travel, are not new to the entity…for these were the beginning of the developments at that period for the escape. (3004-1)

…entity was one who builded the planes, those activities in air, in water, as directed by the stone from which the forces were generated…as the radio beam in the present… (2795-1)

Photo credit: www.Commons.Wikimedia.org by Wolfgang Manousek

It is clear from these readings that these aircraft were developed just prior to the second upheaval, and were used at least until the final upheaval of Atlantis. This period corresponds precisely to the Third World of Hopi myth.

The readings refer to trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific boat crossings. At the time these readings were given, American archaeologists believed such were impossible. To date no ancient boats, ships or canoes from such remote prehistory have been found, but the circumstantial evidence is increasing. The genetic evidence alone is sufficient to demonstrate humans in the Americas since the last Ice Age, at a time when migration by land was impossible. Once again, the readings anticipated scientific evidence which would only be demonstrated decades after they were given.

John Fuhler has been involved in the field of alternative medicine for more than 25 years. He received his BA in anthropology from the University of Illinois and studied in Glasgow, Scotland, and Portland, Ore. As an amateur archaeologist, he participated in projects in Ariz., Calif., Hawaii, N.M., and Wis.; reporting discoveries in Ore. and Scotland. His tribal affiliations include: Saxon, Friesian, Bohemian, Irish (O'Meagher clan), and Wyandot. He volunteers his skills with organizations supporting the homeless, forest services, and families. He enjoys reading the bible in Greek and Latin.

i De Landa, D. 2013. Yucatán at the Time of the Spanish Encounter. Nevaer, L.E.V. (trans.) Hispanic Economics, Inc.: Coral Gables, FL. Intriguingly, de Landa perceived the Indians to have been descendants of the Lost Tribes. The readings suggest that the Lost Tribes would come, but not for several thousand years after the final destruction of Atlantis.ii Waters, F. The Book of the Hopi. 17.

Renovations Underway at Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. in Virginia Beach

In 2009, the A.R.E. unveiled a series of building and renovation projects and technological innovations to bring their facilities into the 21st Century. As part of the organization’s C.R.E.A.T.E. campaign, these projects total more than $5 million and have been underwritten by contributions of A.R.E. members throughout the world.

First, there were renovations to the smallest building on the property known as the Gibbon’s House. This facility is used to house the Spa Wellness weeks, where individuals receive spa treatments, massage, chiropractic services, and dietary guidance for a week at a time. Then came technological innovations to the center’s conference facilities, creating the capability of live-stream programming.

Next came the creation of the deLaski Family Foundation Education Center, which houses two of the organization’s schools: Atlantic University, offering a master’s degree program in Transpersonal Studies, and the Cayce/Reilly School of Massage, offering a 700-hour program in massage therapy. Located in that new buildings ground floor is the Edgar Cayce Foundation, which houses the organization’s archives, collected since before the original founding date of 1931.

The project now underway is the renovation of the Edgar Cayce Hospital building (built in 1928), which houses organizational offices and the popular A.R.E. Health Center & Spa. Renovations will include the installation of an elevator (for the first time in the building’s history!), new siding, a new sweeping stairway in the style of the original hospital, upgrades to the Spa, and the creation of the Cayce/Miller Café and Copeland Dining Room on the first floor. The project is on schedule to be completed by June 2014.

According to CEO Kevin Todeschi, “At first this entire project seemed like an impossible dream, but it has all been made possible through the dedication of our donors and members throughout the world. I think Edgar Cayce himself would be very pleased with the results.”

Artist rendering of completed renovations.

Long in need of renovations, the historic hospital building will be remodeled to look like the original hospital building and the recently built education center. When the historic building was first constructed—for the then staggering sum of almost $200,000 (including state-of-the-art hospital equipment), the hospital employed doctors, nurses, osteopaths, and physiotherapists who carried out treatments recommended by Edgar Cayce’s psychic readings. In fact, for many individuals the hospital was seen as their last ray of hope. Although he drew upon the wisdom of every school of medicine, Cayce would come to be called “the father of holistic medicine.”

Inspiration for Thanksgiving from the Edgar Cayce Readings

On November 20th, 1938, Edgar Cayce was asked to give a reading for Study Group #1 on with an explanation of the true spirit of Thanksgiving. It was a challenging time, like today, and the world was filled with fear and uncertainty. Following is the text of Reading 3976-21. May it fill you with inspiration and a greater appreciation of Thanksgiving. Best wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving from Edgar Cayce's A.R.E.

Gertrude Cayce: You will give at this time information which
may stimulate in the hearts and minds of those gathered here a greater
appreciation of the true spirit of Thanksgiving, and which may be to all those
to whom it is sent an inspiration and an explanation for Thanksgiving even in
the face of personal problems and spreading world-wide fears and hatreds that
seem to dominate so many minds today.

Edgar Cayce: Yes, we have the subject here; and many there
be that appear with the desire to give their own interpretation upon such a
subject. But rather would we choose--from the more universal need of those
here, as well as mankind everywhere that thought, that purpose, that
attribute of man's choice to show, to give thanksgiving for not only the
blessings as may be the experience of many but the fuller meaning of the
appreciation of Life itself and the opportunity which is offered to all through
same to become more and more aware of their relationship to the Creative Force
or God.

It is well that ye be reminded, then, of how--in those
periods when there were the preparations in the lives and experiences of a
peculiar people, under unusual circumstances, in extraordinary environments--they were reminded, not in their days of plenty but in the days when each day
they were given only sufficient for that day, that periods were to be, should
be, set aside when thanksgiving was to be a part of their activity--their
remembrances for all the joys, the sorrows, the disappointments, the hopes that
were and might be theirs if--if--they would but hold to those promises;
relying--as it was necessary in those days, those hours, for a complete dependence--upon the bounty of a merciful Father, who had a purpose in the bringing out,
in the edifying, in the directing.

And today, as ye look back upon those experiences, ye--too--find thyselves chosen.

Have ye chosen Him? For as was given then, "If ye will be my people, I will
be thy God!" This is a universal experience, then. To each soul gathered
here, to each soul throughout the land, to each soul as may be in all lands:
"If ye will be My people, I will be thy God!"

Then in this land--as ye understand--when in the
experiences of a handful of those seeking a place where they might worship God
according to the dictates of their own conscience, the bounties of the land
were in such measures as to preserve their lives--then there was the
proclamation that thanksgiving must be in the mind and heart of each soul. So in this land was set the precedent that has come to mean
so much that year after year thy rulers of the several States, thy director in
the general, have kept, do keep that precedent.

Then, to all: As ye do in the spirit of true thanksgiving
come to realize, as ye find in thy daily experience with thy fellow man--he
that is unappreciative of opportunity, of care, of thought, of longsuffering,
to thine own mind becomes very little. What, then, will ye - as servants--yea, as children of a
living God, of a living promise to thee--do about such a period, such a day?

For the day itself is as nothing. Remember how He as the
Teacher of teachers gave that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the
Sabbath!

Then remember, Thanksgiving is thy opportunity to show thy
appreciation to thy friend, thy home, thy mother, thy children--yea, most of
all to thy God! As it may be truly said--of all the days for man's opportunity,
of man's making, of man's concern, truly Thanksgiving should be nearer and
dearer to the hearts of those who are appreciative of Life and its
opportunities, under any experience! For remember, it was instituted not under plenty but under
needs.

What is the need then of man in this day of disturbed mind,
of anxieties?

That ye may reconsecrate, rededicate - each of you - thy
heart, thy body, thy purpose, to the living God! This is the message then that should be to all.

Let this day of Thanksgiving be not only that wherein to
enjoy that which may satiate the body, that which may make for the gratifying
of appetites of the body, but that day when each of you may give thanks to God
for being alive--with the opportunities to raise thy voice in prayer, in
praise, in thanksgiving for the love He hath shown, that He showers upon thee
day by day!

And as ye do this--in the spirit of love, in the spirit of
truth, of patience, of longsuffering--ye will receive that awareness of His
closeness to thee. And this will bring you to the greater knowledge, the
greater understanding of what He would have thee do.Let thy life, thy experience then, be not without purpose.

What do ye then purpose to do with His promises to thee?

In this land ye may give praise for freedom of speech, for
the opportunities to raise thy voice in whatever way and manner ye choose. For know, as He taught, the principles of life are that as
ye do unto the least of thy brethren ye do unto thy Maker. Then, as ye give thanks, as ye give praise to thy friends
for kindnesses, for gentlenesses, for those things that make thy experience
more bearable in a cruel world--under circumstances oft where a troubled
heart is made lighter--how much greater in this day, then, that is set aside
by thy laws, by the judgments of thy governors and of thy president--how much more ye would give thanks to God!

For it is in Him indeed that ye live, that ye move and have
thy being. Let thy heart then be glad. And as has been indicated, let each raise his voice in
thanksgiving for all that has, that may come to pass in the experience of each soul that prays, "Thy will, O God, be done in me--now. Not as I will, but as Thou would have me go."

Pray that peace may be in the minds and hearts of those who
direct the destiny of the many, throughout the world. For they are not in power
of themselves, but that ye--too--may learn a lesson to do, and to seek to do,
the will of thy Father; and not to do that which is IN direct contradiction to
that of praise to thy Lord, thy God.

Keep then that Day in praise, in thanksgiving, in such ways,
such a manner that ye show to thy conscience that what ye worship as thy God is
aware of thy appreciation of life!

We are through.

Members of Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. have access to all 14,000 plus readings in the member-only section of our web site.

Longevity and Wellness in the Cayce ReadingsBy Alison Ray

The concepts of longevity and wellness are as much a subject of discussion today as they were during Edgar Cayce’s lifetime. Scientific studies indicate that while lifespan is not only based on genetics, it is also based on individual lifestyle choices—including behaviors and environmental factors that can be modified. Most people would choose to live for a long time if they could remain healthy and energetic in body and mind. The psychic readings given by Edgar Cayce made numerous references to disease prevention and longevity, noting the importance of diet, exercise, and leisure long before the medical community noted their importance.

The Cayce approach to wellness begins with the idea that health is a state of wholeness and balance. Imbalance and incoordination can challenge us to grow and develop; thus illness can often be viewed as an opportunity for transformation.

From his trance state, Edgar Cayce reiterated that we are multidimensional beings; including physical, mental, and spiritual aspects, and must be viewed holistically. Since all healing comes from within, therapeutic interventions work best when assisting the natural, innate processes of healing. A healthy lifestyle is the key to staying well and preventing disease and each of us is responsible for making choices and applying what we know. The readings also stress that while all therapeutic modalities can be helpful, it is important to find the best combination of treatments for each individual using a person-centered approach that recognizes the uniqueness of each individual rather than limiting people to diagnostic categories and pathological labels.

Because we are physical, mental, and spiritual beings, “preventative measures” need to include all of these aspects. We can use balance in mental, spiritual, and physical activity using moderation, regular hydrotherapy, osteopathic treatment, exercise, proper diet, meditation, and prayer to prevent illness and extend life. We can also seek to reduce stress factors including extreme emotions, frustration, anger, and worry.

In a reading given for a 37-year-old insurance agent, Cayce said: “There are certain tendencies, certain weaknesses that are present in the body. They are not diseases–these are rather dis-eases, when certain stresses or strains are brought to bear in the mental, in the spiritual, and physical experience of the entity.” (Edgar Cayce Reading 2533-6)

This man was encouraged to adapt a more balanced lifestyle, improve his diet, and enjoy regular exercise. The readings stress that for life expectancy, health, and illness, the role of the mind was far more important than heredity and genetics. While Mr. 2533 had inherited a tendency for a glandular imbalance, he could focus his mind on a spiritual ideal and change his own expectations about aging and death: “…because your great, great, great, great grandfather died you will die too—is there, and is part of the expectancy of every cell of your body! It can be eradicated, yes. How? By that constant activity within self of expectancy that this condition does not have to happen to you!” (Edgar Cayce Reading 2533-6)

Also key to health and wellness is having a definite spiritual purpose or ideal and being of service to one’s fellow man. Having a purpose gives us a reason to continue when we encounter obstacles. Edgar Cayce taught this again and again. Here are a few of his readings on this matter:

“This the entity should alter within self, being not only good, but good for something. Lose self rather in the service of others…” (Edgar Cayce Reading 1726-1)

“Make the experiences of the life not only good but good for something, and we will find it will make the rest of the years of the entity’s experience in the earth much more worthwhile… For life…is an opportunity to show the appreciation to the divine within, with the divine in your fellow man, and if you act in that manner much more joy, much more worthwhile will be the earthly experience of this entity.” (Edgar Cayce Reading 5294-1)

“... you will live as long as you desire and do good for others.” (Edgar Cayce Reading 5223-1)

Finally, keep in mind the importance of a balanced life. The following was from a reading given by Mr. Cayce for himself: “Moderation is the key to success or longevity!” (294-130)

The Cayce source implied that all knowledge is available within, if we seek patiently, persistently, and consistently. “For, as has been indicated so oft in each body, no medicine, no mechanical appliance does the healing. It only attunes the body to a perfect coordination and the Divine gives the healing.” (1173-7)

Meeting SelfBy Deirdre L. Aragon

Metaphysics teaches that in order to change a situation, a person should first begin with self. To heal others, you must first heal yourself; to love others you must first love yourself, etc. As simple as this may seem, it is one of the hardest concepts for people to accept and practice.

Regardless of the desired outcome, each person must meet their self. This leads to the questions, “Who is self,” and “how do I meet self?” According to Edgar Cayce there are ample opportunities to meet self each and every day.

Merriam Webster defines self as the person that someone normally or truly is. The Cayce readings describe self through the concepts of personality and individuality. Personality is that seen by others. Individuality is that which shines out from within, separating one from another. (345-2)

There are many methods to meeting the personality of one’s self. Perhaps one of the most comfortable ways to meet self is in meditation. A quiet, safe, and familiar atmosphere is the ideal environment to begin this self-discovery. Through focused intentions, an individual is able to make sense of their thoughts and truly meet their self.

In my meditation, I focus on my breath. Reducing my body to a simple function allows me to quiet my mind and listen to my inner self. During this stillness I am able to commune with the Christ within and bring myself into peace.

Meditation is a practice that takes work and it does not call to all people. Another opportunity to meet self is through dreams. It is a simple fact that all humans dream and this is the perfect way for self to speak to the conscious mind.

Throughout the ages dreams have affected individuals in their waking lives. Cayce spoke about the importance of dreams and provided invaluable insights to people through his readings. He recommended that people record and analyze their dreams, for dreams are that of which the subconscious is made, for any condition ever becoming reality is first dreamed. (136-7)

As a child I was seldom affected by my dreams, but in the winter of 1990 I was startled by the following dream:

“I was on a space ship leaving the Earth. Everyone was forced to evacuate to avoid danger. As my futuristic family and I flew away, the Earth imploded. We watched the whole destruction from an observation room. We were safe, but the Earth was gone.”

As a young child, I awoke from this dream terrified. My mother soothed me, assured me it was just a dream, and I went back to sleep. A few short months later, at the age of 10, I fell into a coma and had a near-death experience. My prophetic dream was spot on. My world had imploded, but just as in the dream, everyone was safe in the end. Although I did not understand the message of my childhood dream, self was sending me a warning of things to come.

Meditation and dreams are personal ways of meeting self. Another, sometimes less pleasant way of meeting self is through another person. Cayce mentioned on several occasions that self is constantly meeting self. (1771-2) When there is an encounter with someone who appears to be unpleasant, that person is generally reflecting an aspect of ourselves that needs our attention. Sometimes the attribute is from a previous lifetime, at other times it reflects our current life.

I remember my first several encounters with a very unpleasant woman at my church. She was grumpy and unapproachable, yet she was an active member in the community. While attending a class, I was randomly placed into a workgroup with her. This did not please me whatsoever, but it was only for a short project, so I just accepted the assignment. At the beginning of the second class, this woman ran up to me as I entered the sanctuary and she scolded me for not responding to the group email she had sent out. I informed her that between my mother’s chemotherapy treatments, my two children under the age of three, and my full-time position as a store manager, her email was not a priority. I walked away from her, took my seat, and prepared for class.

A couple of years after that encounter, the same woman came to me and informed me that shortly after we met she had made it a personal goal of hers to make me smile. She said I looked so unhappy when we first met and she found me difficult to approach. I laughed and told her of my first impression of her. She was shocked that anyone would think of her that way, but she appreciated the feedback and acknowledged the importance of our conversation. After coming to know one another through a common service to our church, we had become friends. I supported her when she decided to serve as a board member, and she took the time to get to know me and my family.

My experience with this woman is the perfect example of meeting self through another person. Through mirroring negative aspects of one another we were given the opportunity to change ourselves. Both of us met this opportunity and we each grew as individuals and friends.

Keep in mind that life is filled with opportunities to meet self. Be thankful for the pleasant encounters in life and be prepared to work at the unpleasant ones. Know that each soul constantly meets its own self. No problem may be run away from. Meet it now! (1204-3)

Deirdre L. Aragon is a Laguna Pueblo Indian, who spent the early years of her life on the Laguna Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico. Her paternal grandmother and aunt, who were tribal healers, taught Deirdre the wisdom and teachings of her tribe. She was raised in a home where metaphysical principles and holistic healing were accepted and practiced as a way of life. During a near death experience when she was ten years old, Deirdre was given the "mark of the shaman" from the Spirit World. Accepting her abilities, Deirdre has designed several healing techniques based on her personal experiences and knowledge gained through various sources and is an active speaker. She is actively involved with A.R.E. in Northern Virginia and has participated in A.R.E. Search for God Study Groups since she was a child. She has been a student of the Unity Movement for over 15 years. You'll find her website Noble Minds, a companion on the path of enlightenment, online at Noble-minds.com.

A Spiritual ConnectionBy Michael McAdams

Man’s desire to reach out and achieve oneness with the divine is as old as primitive man staring in wonder at a full moon. Contemplation of the divine and our position in the universe enables the realization of an existence beyond this physical world that gives hope to mortal man that this earthly sojourn is a temporary but necessary existence that prepares us, or allows us to prepare ourselves, for the next stage in our progression of life.

Religion is the manner in which we express our personal connection with God in an organized and social setting. Worship is the personal expression of faith that we hold within our consciousness of the existence of a supreme being that leads us, guides us, and protects us as we participate in this experience fulfilling the expressions of love and the expectations of achievement and accomplishment that tests our patience, draws from us the courage and the will to persevere against all obstacles and difficulties, to emerge victorious, confident that we have run a good race fulfilling our obligations to friends, family, and our Creator. For in the time our consciousness has resided in this physical form, we have held our head high, held true to our convictions and values, and spoken truth when the opportunity presented itself that others may benefit from the knowledge and wisdom we have gained through the living of life itself.

The connection available between man and our Heavenly Father and His direct representatives exists within us as our birthright. We are enabled at birth with the ability to touch a heavenly presence at will. This spiritual connection is strong, and once established will not be broken unless by choice of your own free will you abandon this available avenue of guidance and direction to focus your attention instead on physical gratification and worldly possessions at the exclusion of all else that would allow you to avail yourself of the love, guidance, and support available from those spiritual beings and God’s direct representatives who have your best interests at heart.

Opening this spiritual connection is simply a matter of clearing our minds of conscious thought, touching a level of receptiveness with an open mind, and receiving—just as if we were tuning in a frequency on a radio. Edgar Cayce was able to attune his mind to the divine using a similar process. Our open mind and the benevolent intentions of our heart enable us to receive.

Steps to attune with the divine:

Say a prayer asking for protection as you relax your mind and allow yourself to enter into a receptive state.

You may write down questions or describe situations, circumstances, or conflicts that you would like to resolve.

Ask for love, understanding, and wisdom to deal with that which is being presented to you at the time.

Quiet your mind and expect a response.

Give thanks to God and His direct representatives for the information, insight, and perspective being given. Watch for answers coming at any time, in dreams, chance meetings, or during daily activities.

Edgar Cayce’s readings suggested daily meditation and prayer. He said that prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God.

Wilma Jean Jones, my mother, received messages and teachings dictated directly from spirit teachers over a 22-year period. The following dictated message was received by Wilma on July 8, 1996:

“Treacherous times will cause many to decide on the basis of their own understanding issues that will become the hallmark of their existence. Man has allocated a place for himself without shelter from adversity in spite of all warnings and interruptions that were given so that considerations would bring insight and direction to allow adequate intelligence to lead them in a manner that would insure their safety. Regardless of times past when men would seek to enlarge their capacity to understand the meaning of this existence, apathy and complacency has led them to display urgency only for those things that will multiply their pleasures or add distinction to their accomplishments. Rely on your own knowledge given so that those who are entitled to your appraisals will seek to include His Holy works in their daily contact with those of lesser understanding. Take your stand with those who have not entitled to advance themselves so that as time progresses and iniquities become common place even in attitude, showers of information will be given in order to obtain release and conviction on the part of those so inclined to listen.”

“Regardless of sophisticated scholarship, minds will be turned inward in order to obtain comfort where discomfort has created dismay and an inability to seek resources that man has been given by his Creator to enable him to rescue himself in times where no help is in sight nor any refuge given. Remorse sometimes brings about change just as good tidings can bring joy where there was remorse. In order to obtain the highest level of understanding one must return to that which is given to uphold him in time of need as well as possession of rewards. Caution those who are complacent to adjust their schedules so that matters of importance can be discussed. God has given each of us a task to be completed with the knowledge that He gives us strength in the aftermath of destruction and the ability to trudge forward in spite of obstacles that loom large before us. Therefore keep close to His admonishments where He directs the conditions required to enable us to return unfettered to that place of safety and His love abounds.”

“There are many explanations man can give for examples put before him. However weak in his understanding, there is a parcel of truth obtained within. That is why it is so necessary to seek that which God has given for always He warrants our attention and devotion, as undeserving as we may feel. Anxieties wither our abilities and our eyes are filled with misty recollections of memories long put away when this Spirit within was attached to His glorious being and protected in order that we may learn with freedom from obstacles that which would always lead us back to this state of being where His nature alone enlightens and fills to full measure all that has been equated with His Word. Spoken many times but forgotten in many cases, His Word embellishes in His own familiar way that which would remain inadequate but for His intervention. Therefore look ahead to that promise embedded deep within your spirit by His very own hand and rely upon the leading of His Spirit in all things that pertain to your safe return to His keeping. Those who are aware must prepare the way for those less conscious of this ability to confront issues on the basis of His knowledge easily obtained, and not exclude His discipleship as a path to be followed and not ignored in the face of calamity and indecision that can overtake those whom have deemed themselves alone capable of charting their own course regardless of the treacherous waters that must be dealt with whether in His keeping or on their own. Jesus has set the course we must all follow on our way back to the Father’s House. Let us keep ourselves in agreement with His Word and His direction for a safe return.”

Michael McAdams offers a set of his own writings called Spiritual Parchment Prints as a fundraising item for youth groups, churches, and to the public. He and his mother, Wilma Jean Jones, worked closely together as she received these messages and teachings dictated from spirit teachers over a 22-year period. This collection of messages and teachings is being published as the book An Angel Told Me So. Michael writes for Infinity Magazine (available at Facebook.com/pages/Infinity-Health-Magazine/150572801647195). Learn more about Michael’s work and view Wilma Jean Jones’ television interview at SpiritSpeaks.com.

Notes on Halloween from a SupernaturalistBy Darrin W. Owens

As Halloween begins to creep around the corner it brings to mind the fanciful images of ghosts, pumpkins, and a witch’s silhouette flying across the moon. I have always loved Halloween; not just for the holiday ambiance, but for me, its true essence of being a time when the veil between our world and the supernatural seems to be at its thinnest. The ancients knew that the supernatural was just as natural as the air that we breathe, and Halloween was a day to be aware of that fact.

Since the beginning of time humankind has been fascinated—even obsessed— with the unseen world that exists all around us. From the communion of spirits within sacred rituals performed by our ancestors to the saturation of paranormal “reality TV” of today, it is in our very core—a deep desire to know and commune with the mystery behind the invisible curtain that separates our world from “theirs.”

I truly believe that even from the harshest of skeptics there is always that quiet wonder about what lies beyond—in the unknown. I was born into a world of ghosts and folklore. In the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, there still lives a rich tradition of spiritualism and magic. Even underneath the very buckle of the Bible belt you can still sense that there is mystery and supernatural wonder in “them there hills.” Souls that lost their way hundreds of years ago still wander in their timeless dream state, lost in the dark forests of the Ozarks. I have felt them there. I have heard the lonely cries calling from a world beyond ours. From my earliest years, the supernatural was natural to me. My grandmother filled my childhood with stories from her own childhood of things going bump in the night, ghosts walking up creaky stairs, and spiritual miracles of healing performed by granny witches who had the power of herb and chant. Little did I know at the time that my grandmother was telling me of very real occurrences and helping me to develop my own abilities to see these things by keeping my mind open to accepting different realities.

Becoming a “Supernaturalist”

While researching my next book project about the supernatural, I discovered a label that seems to fit me perfectly—it’s Supernaturalist. The term “Supernaturalist” is not a word you hear too often. When said aloud it rings with a very mysterious tone. The Collins English Dictionary defines this illusive word the best: “a person who believes in supernatural forces or agencies as producing effects in this world”; or “characterized by a belief in supernatural forces or agencies as producing effects in this world.”

In general, we can look at the supernatural as manifestation of the unearthly—weird and miraculous—and a supernaturalist is one who lives in constant awareness of its illusive presence. The definition of supernaturalist mentions the supernatural realms actually producing effects. This is very much the case in my work. I’m seeing, especially the past few years, the veil between our physical world and the supernatural world thinning at an increasing rate. We are, in fact, being affected by these otherworldly dimensions by the action being taken on both sides to lift the curtain and see what’s there. Not only are we curious, but the beings, entities, and other supernatural creatures on the “other side” are curious about our world as well. Over the years most of us have questioned, is the truth really out there? I’m here to tell you the truth is living right here in our own backyards. The highly popular film The Conjuring and the hit TV series Supernatural are both testament to what is unveiling itself as a reality. I can always tell when something is changing in the global brain by watching it as it begins to be reflected in our current pop-culture media. You can definitely see this in the plethora of the current paranormal and supernatural TV Shows.

This Halloween remember that there are many mansions and inhabitants in God’s multidimensional universe that will eventually emerge from the mists within which it resides. Have a respect for them. As we awaken to our spiritual selves we move even closer to more universal mysteries beyond the veil.

Darrin William Owens is an internationally renowned psychic medium, spiritual teacher, and best-selling author with 20 years of intense research and spiritual experiences. He is an acclaimed expert in the fields of higher consciousness, spirituality, mysticism, and soul consciousness living. His latest book, Becoming Masters of Light: Co-Creating the New Age of Enlightenment, was published by A.R.E.’s 4th Dimension Press. He is currently working on another title for A.R.E. on the topic that encompasses the supernatural realms. Learn more at his Web site DarrinOwensOfficial.com.

Breast Cancer Dreams Research Project By Larry Burk

Can dreams warn us about important health concerns? Two of my close friends, who had no symptoms, experienced very vivid dreams about breast cancer that prompted them to get breast imaging studies leading to diagnosis. Never having heard of this phenomenon before, and being a radiologist, I started on a quest of study that led me to Virginia Beach, Va., in June 2013, where I presented on the topic at the International Society for the Study of Dreams annual conference. It happened to be co-sponsored by the A.R.E., which was a timely synchronicity as I discovered my friend Jerry Lazarus (Venture Inward’s dream columnist) had quoted an Edgar Cayce reading in his Dreams book stating that “any condition ever becoming reality is first dreamed.” (136-7)

Warning Dream Messages from Deceased Relatives

A third friend of mine was not so fortunate, as her dream of breast cancer was dismissed by her doctor, and she was diagnosed with Stage 3 disease a year later. Concerned that the significance of these remarkable stories could be overlooked, I was fortunate to discover Wanda Burch’s She Who Dreams. She wrote about a dream warning from her deceased father that led her to seek medical advice and another dream that localized the tumor for her surgeon to biopsy when he could not find it on physical examination or on radiological studies. Wanda also found another nine women in a breast cancer support group who had very similar dream warning experiences involving deceased relatives as messengers.

Online Breast Cancer Dreams Questionnaire

When I gave my presentation in Virginia Beach, the founders of Dreams Cloud, a social networking website devoted entirely to dreams, were in the audience and generously offered to assist me with a formal research project. After we got research approval through the Rhine Research Center, we decided to launch it during October for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Women with proven breast cancer who have had warning dreams can participate by signing an online consent form, filling out a 19-item questionnaire limited only to dream information, and posting narrative descriptions of their breast cancer dreams on the social networking site using a pseudonym to maintain confidentiality.

This launch page can be found at www.dreamscloud.com/en/breast_cancer_dreams_study and the dream stories at www.letmagichappen.com/newsletter/issue/october_2013. Please spread the word, especially to breast cancer support groups around the country. The study will help inform healthcare professionals in the future about the most important aspects of warning dreams, so they know what to pay attention to when taking care of your loved ones. To quote Edgar Cayce again: “And too oft, ye disregard them; or too seldom do ye pay attention to them! They are parts of thy experience. How oft have ye visioned in symbol or in dream those very things that happened to thee later.” (1537-1)

Larry Burk, MD, CEHP, is a Certified Energy Health Practitioner and president of Healing Imager, Inc., in Durham, N.C., specializing in teleradiology, EFT, hypnosis, and dreamwork. Dr. Burk went to medical school and did his radiology residency at the University of Pittsburgh. He lived in Norfolk, Va., from 1991-1993 and was on the staff at Virginia Beach General Hospital. Dr. Burk is a long time member of the A.R.E. and has attended many conferences at A.R.E.’s headquarters in Virginia Beach. He was former associate professor of radiology and director of integrative medicine education at Duke University Medical Center and board president of the Rhine Research Center from 2007-2008. Dr. Burk is the author of the book, Let Magic Happen: Adventures in Healing with a Holistic Radiologist, and is a blogger for the Huffington Post. His scientific articles, newspaper columns, newsletters, and video blogs are posted at www.letmagichappen.com.

Why I Serveby Toni Romano

I’m curious about what motivates people to volunteer; to give their time, their talents, and their money to this Work. What motivates us to serve, besides the greatness of the Edgar Cayce readings? I’d like to share an account of how I came to this service, and would love to hear your story as well.

I was brought up in an evangelical Christian church that emphasized giving one’s ALL to the Lord. That meant our time, our talents and our tithe—and more if there was a building campaign or project that needed additional funds! This was not questioned in our home. If the church doors were open, we were there! We had to take a city bus, transfer in the middle of town, and take a second bus to the church. And when the paycheck was cashed, the tithe went into the envelope for Sunday morning offering. This was during WW II, and our father was in the South Pacific defending our country! So the “we” was my mother, maternal grandmother, and sister.

At the tender age of seven, I found my way to the altar to give my heart to the Lord. I knew from a young age that I was to dedicate my life in service to God. I taught Sunday school in my teens, held offices in our Youth Fellowship, attended our church college, majored in Christian Education, and married a ministerial student. Church activities and church members made up most of my life until I was in my thirties.

While my husband was co-pastor of a church after seminary, the civil rights movement was born, and we became very active. The church “fathers” determined that being active in civil rights was not an acceptable expression of the ministry and took the credentials away from three of the activist ministers, including my husband.

You might take away credentials, and you might change where you work, but a life of service doesn’t change. It didn’t matter whether I was volunteering at my children’s school, teaching in a public school classroom, working in a community program, or working in a state bureaucracy. The same sense of dedication and commitment motivated me to give my all in service. However, what I experienced at this time in my life was that service in itself was not enough. My soul was hungry. I began searching for more meaning in my life.

One door after another began opening—a weekend of yoga with my sister, an interest in astrology (learning about the blueprint I was born with), learning to meditate with a co-worker, and, as fate would have it, connecting with someone at a state government meeting that became my first spiritual teacher and counselor!

That relationship brought me to the Edgar Cayce material and the A.R.E in 1983. I was making a major life change, leaving a 26-year marriage, a comfortable home, and striking out on my own for the first time in my life! And here’s this “little girl” from the cornfields of Illinois moving to the big city of Chicago. I knew only two people where I found my first job, and that was it! My counselor told me to find an Edgar Cayce study group. Who was this Edgar Cayce? What would I be getting myself into? If she said it, I trusted it!

I searched and searched the papers until one day I found an A.R.E. program announcement: Finding Your Soul’s Purpose, with Mark Thurston. I went to the program, became a member, and found an “A Search for God” study group four blocks from where I was living and working! I put my foot on the path right then and there!

The Cayce principles have opened me to more understanding of “a life of service” that began when I was seven years old. I now see that this choice was actually my IDEAL. Each time a group exercise focused on discovering ones Ideal, I would come up with Service—no surprise. Looking at the Ideal from a spiritual, mental, and physical perspective gave much more meaning to Service. I found myself at one point, honing the Ideal by adding Loving Service. That made me more aware of “how” I was giving service.

When I became so engrossed in the busyness of doing the work, I found myself neglecting the spiritual practices to keep me centered. I didn’t like how my life was going! The next time I worked with my Ideal, I added Joyous to Loving Service to remind me that it is not the doing that is as important as the way we are being when we are serving. So that has brought me to an Ideal to Be Love, Be Joy, and Be Peace.

And that’s my story… so far! If you are inspired to share your story of what motivates you to give your time, your talents, and your financial support to this Work, I would love to hear from you. Love and blessings!

Toni Romano holds an MS degree in Human Development Counseling from the University of Illinois. An A.R.E. Life Member, she has been a member of a study group for 30 years. She worked as the Coordinator of the Midwest Heartland Region and Chicago Center for 9 years before moving to Virginia Beach where she worked as Outreach Coordinator for A.R.E. headquarters for 9 years. She is presently a facilitator for the Personal Transformation and Courage Institute, Inc. online at TransformationandCourage.org. She volunteers for the A.R.E. Call Center and is an active member of Glad Helpers Healing Prayer Group. Please send her your stories at ConnectWithToni@gmail.com.

Holistic veterinary care is in great
demand these days. The term "holistic" implies that the entire being—body,
mind and spirit—is being addressed. The whole is considered to be greater than
the sum of its parts. This concept stands in direct opposition to the Western
reductionistic view of life. Modern medicine tends to break systems down into
smaller and smaller pieces, reducing them to their basic building blocks to gain
an understanding. While this approach can help us understand how the body
works, often the modern doctor loses sight of the forest for the trees.

Dis-Ease

Holistic medicine takes many
forms, but there are common beliefs among these various techniques. First of
all, health is considered to be more than simply the absence of disease. It is
a state of well-being expressed as a vitality that resists disease. Health is a
dynamic balance of internal and external forces. From this point of view, there
is a broad spectrum of physical conditions ranging from perfect health to
death.

As an animal declines from health
toward disease, she is first affected by dis-ease.
Dis-ease begins as an imbalance, which may go undetected by conventional means.
If left untreated at this early stage, detectable disease and possibly death
will eventually result. Often, holistic approaches to health can detect
problems at the dis-ease state and correct the imbalance before disease sets
in.

The Energy of Life

Holistic therapies embrace the
vitalist concept that has been abandoned by conventional medicine. The
vitalists believe that there is more to the body than meets the eye. There is a
vital energy that animates the flesh. The Chinese call it "Qi," the
Japanese call it "Ki," the doctors of India call it
"Prana," homeopaths call it the "Vital Force," and
chiropractors call it the "Innate." It is this life force energy that
is the difference between life and death, and it must be nourished to maintain
true health.

The Body Can Heal Itself

While conventional medicine fights
disease, holistic therapies generally strengthen the body. The body is viewed
as containing its own pharmacy. Research bears this fact out. You may have
heard of the “placebo effect.” This medical anomaly predicts that 30% of
subjects treated with a sugar pill will improve; no matter what the disease is.
High blood pressure, low blood pressure, allergies—all can be alleviated by the
patients' own bodies. It is considered a case of mind over matter but it proves
that our bodies can heal themselves if conditions are right. The idea of
holistic therapies is to produce the right conditions for the body to produce true
health.

Integrative Medicine

Of course, fighting disease and
strengthening the body are not mutually exclusive approaches to health. For me,
holistic pet care embraces the best of what each has to offer. This concept is
referred to as integrative medicine. There are some cases for which surgery or
antibiotics may be the best option. At the same time acupuncture, chiropractic,
herbs or nutritional supplements may be used to speed healing in conjunction
with or in place of Western medicine.

Nutrition

Diet is the basis of health. It is
very difficult to build a healthy body if you do not supply it with wholesome
building materials. As is so often the case, when it comes to nutrition, the
closer we stick to Mother Nature, the
better off we are. Animals evolved over millions of years eating unprocessed
diets that are much different than what we currently offer them. Eating
strictly processed foods is as unhealthy for our pets as it is for us. Feeding
a balanced raw diet is best for pets.

Vaccines

Vaccines are an important tool for
disease prevention in veterinary medicine. Just like any tool, it can cause
more harm than good if used improperly. Yearly distemper vaccines should be a
thing of the past. Many studies now show that this vaccine lasts for years in
the majority of pets. Vaccinating an animal more than necessary does not make
them more immune to disease. Instead, it damages the pet’s immune system. Pets
should be vaccinated based on their individual disease risk and immune status.

The Wave of the Future

There is a reason that many pet
caregivers are seeking alternatives to conventional care. While Western
medicine can be important in some situations, there are times when holistic
methods work better. Combining the best of East and West is the emerging
paradigm of health care. This holistic-integrative approach to wellness is the
wave of the future, and in my view, is the best option for both pets and
people.

Dr. Doug Knueven

Dr.
Doug Knueven received his veterinary degree from Ohio State University in 1987.
He owns and operates Beaver Animal Clinic in Beaver, PA (near Pittsburgh) where
he shares duties with 2 other veterinarians. He has earned certification in veterinary acupuncture,
veterinary Chinese herbal medicine and veterinary chiropractic. He also has
advanced training in natural nutrition, massage therapy and homeopathy. Dr Doug
has been practicing alternative veterinary medicine since 1995. He lectures on
the subject at state and national veterinary conferences including the annual
AVMA convention and the North American Veterinary Conference which is the
largest veterinary conference in the world.

Diagnosis from a Single Drop of Blood By Kevin J. Todeschi

A recent article from The Wall Street Journal titled “Elizabeth Holmes: The Breakthrough of Instant Diagnosis” sounded eerily familiar. In the article, dated September 8, 2013, Joseph Rago interviewed Elizabeth Holmes, a 29-year-old chemical and electrical engineer and entrepreneur, about the company, Theranos, that she founded in 2003. Theranos is developing an entrepreneurial invention that could revolutionize medicine and diagnose any illness by processing more than 1,000 laboratory tests on a single drop of blood. Ms. Holmes's long-term goal is to provide cost effective, highly accurate, and simple diagnostic services to every American home.

More than 85 years ago, Edgar Cayce went into a trance-state to help a 46-year-old woman suffering from pelvic tumors and ovarian cysts. During the course of the woman’s psychic reading, Cayce foresaw the use of blood as a diagnostic tool, and even the possibility of diagnosing any illness from a single drop of blood:

“For, as is seen, there is no condition existent in a body that the reflection of same may not be traced in the blood supply, for not only does the blood stream carry the rebuilding forces to the body, it also takes the used forces and eliminates same through their proper channels in the various portions of the system… Hence there is ever seen in the blood stream the reflections or evidences of that condition being carried on in the physical body. The day may yet arrive when one may take a drop of blood and diagnose the condition of any physical body...” (Reading 283-2)

Although it may have seemed like science fiction in 1927 when the reading was given, this possibility has become scientific fact for many illnesses today. Blood tests are commonly used to diagnose diseases including cancer, AIDS, diabetes, anemia, and coronary heart disease. Tests can evaluate the function of organs including the kidneys, liver, thyroid, and heart, and even screen for risk factors for heart disease. With developments in technology especially those offered by Theranos, we now appear to be moving even closer to possibility of diagnosis of any illness from a drop of blood as predicted by Edgar Cayce.

Nearly 70 percent of the Cayce readings were concerned with the diagnosing of disease and the outlining of treatment. These readings are still being studied in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and around the world (with access to all of the readings via our member-only section and on the DVD-Rom). For many, Cayce was a last hope for an illness diagnosed by renowned medical institutions as incurable. While he had no medical training, when he entered into a trance-like state, he was able to tap into an endless source of health information. He could accurately diagnose illness and prescribe treatment for people he had never met or seen.

Since 1901, the information in the Cayce readings has been explored by individuals from every imaginable background and discipline. Throughout the last 100 or so years, the vast scope of information that was offered by Cayce has come to the attention of educators, historians, theologians, medical professionals, and scientists. No doubt, part of the attraction has been that regardless of the field of study, Cayce has continually proven to be years ahead of his time.

The Hopi Indians and the Edgar Cayce Readings By John Fuhler

In the rain shadow of the San Francisco Peaks, west of the Little Colorado River and north of Sunset Crater Volcano, sits Wupatki Pueblo. Onetime home to many individuals, Wupatki was a major trade center. The pueblo was occupied for about 700 years, between CE 500 and 1182, after which the residents moved to more fertile lands.

The name “Wupatki” means “Tall House” in Hopi. It is apparently one of the resting places of the Hisatsinom, or “Ancient Ones.” Hopi mythology teaches that Masaw required the various peoples to migrate to all ends of the Fourth World before settling at their current location, where they were to await his return. They came from such places as Betatakin, Puerco Pueblo, Homolovi, and Tuzigoot.

But the Hopi ancestors did not always live on this Fourth World. Their ancient ones came a very great distance a long time ago.

Until recently American anthropologists held firmly to the hypothesis that all indigenous American peoples were descended from one group of Asian people who crossed the land bridge over the Bering Sea during the last Ice Age. This hypothesis is being challenged on all sides, and not only by the genetic data, but also by archaeological and linguistic data.

So Spider Woman gathered earth, this time of four colors, yellow, red, white and black; mixed with túchvala, the liquid of her mouth; molded them…these forms were human beings in the image of Sótuknang. (from Book of the Hopi)i

“He then projected himself into five centers at once as Adam…” (Edgar Cayce reading 364-13)

“The appearance of man…was in five different places as the five different races, at the same time. The white race appeared in the Carpathian basin, the yellow in Tibet, the red in Atlantis, the brown in Lemuria, the black in Africa. (Edgar Cayce reading 294-202)

The readings tell us that Lemuria was located west of South America (364-13), and it extended to the South Pacific (364-4). Ice caused the poles to shift (5249-1). Remnant residents from Lemuria settled in the American Southwest, in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah (851-2), Colorado (962-1), Southern California, and Mexico (5750-1).

Elements of the Hopi Creation myth corroborate these details:

…the world…teetered off balance, spun around crazily, then rolled over twice…This was the end of the Second World.

…Sótuknang came to Spider Woman and said, ”…It will be difficult; with all this destruction going on, for them to gather at the far end of the world I have designated…Then you will save them when I destroy this world with water.”

So he loosed the waters upon the earth. Waves higher than mountains rolled in upon the land. Continents broke asunder and sank beneath the seas.

…they saw they were on a little piece of land that had been the top of one of their highest mountains. All else…was water.

So Spider Woman directed them to make round, flat boats…For a long time they drifted…and came to another rocky island.

So the people kept traveling toward the rising sun in their reed boats…

At last they saw land stretching from north to south as far as they could see…Before long they landed and joyfully jumped out upon a sandy shore.

Soon all the others arrived and when they were gathered together, Sótuknang appeared…”Look now at the way you have come.”

Looking to the west and south, the people could see…the islands upon which they had rested. “These are the footprints of your journey…the tops of the high mountains of the Third World, which I destroyed. Now watch.”

As the people watched them, the closest one sank under the water, then the next, until all were gone…ii

Interestingly, both the myth and the corpus of the readings can be corroborated by linguistics and genetics.

The dominant language family of the American Southwest is the Uto-Aztecan. Its core members occupied precisely those locations cited in the readings: Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Northern Mexico. The original Uto-Aztecan homeland is in the area of Death Valley; and only later did representatives of the family move southward as far as the Yucatan. It is important to note that the Uto-Aztecan languages began to diverge from each other 9,000-13,000 years ago.iii According to the readings, Lemuria had sunk by 12,600 years ago. (5750-1)

From the perspective of genetics, some astonishing data can be obtained. One of the major American Indian genetic markers is known as Haplogroup B?. This marker is associated specifically with Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest.iv This is a very important fact for a number of reasons. First and foremost of these is the B Haplogroup is shared by Turks, Mongols, Han Chinese, Indonesians, Koreans, Malaysians, Melanesians, Micronesians, Filipinos, Polynesians, Taiwanese, Thais, Tibetans, and Vietnamese. The B Haplogroup is distributed from Southeast Asia across the Pacific archipelagos into the Americas. Though the haplogroup is greatest among the Pueblo Indians of North America, a greater frequency of Haplogroup B occurs in Central America, and an even greater frequency in South America!v Above and beyond these data, the American Haplogroup B? is most closely related to that of the Han Chinese. Moreover, there is a lack of this genetic marker among Siberian, Arctic, and Subarctic populations, indicating this marker arrived in America via the ocean and not across Beringia. Given the span of time necessary for the divergence between the American and Asian populations, the route across Beringia would have been blocked by the mountain of glacial ice covering southern Alaska and Northwestern Canada.vi Ironically, the so-called land bridge was un-glaciated! but the Aleutians were one massive wall of ice which stretched up into Northern Canada.

Here again is another rather portentous correlation between the readings and Hopi mythology:

Q. What will the Aquarian Age mean to mankind…?

A. Think you this might be answered in a word? These are as growths. What meant that awareness as just indicated? In the Piscean Age, in the center of the same, we had the entrance of Emmanuel or God among men, see? What did that mean? The same will be meant by the full consciousness of the ability to communicate with or to be aware of the relationships to the Creative Forces and the uses of same in material environs. This awareness during the era or age in the age of Atlantis and Lemuria or Mu brought what? Destruction to man, and his beginning of the needs of the journey up through that of selfishness. (1602-3)

According to the Hopi myth:

Now in the Third World they multiplied in such numbers and advanced so rapidly that they created big cities, countries, a whole civilization. This made it difficult for them to conform to the plan of Creation and to sing praises to Taiowa and Sótuknang. More and more of them became wholly occupied with their own earthly plans…So many people were using their reproductive power in wicked ways…they began to use their creative power in another evil and destructive way…some of them made a pátuwvota [shield made of hide] and with their creative power made it fly through the air. On this many of the people flew to a big city, attacked it, and returned so fast no one knew where they came from…So corruption and war came to the Third World as it had to the others.

This time Sótuknang came to Spider Woman and said, “There is no use waiting until the thread runs out this time. Something has to be done lest the people with the song in their hearts are corrupted…you will save them when I destroy this world with water.” vii

When Edgar Cayce discussed the Indians of the American Southwest, there was no knowledge of mtDNA Haplogroup B. It would be decades before Frank Waters would publish the Book of Hopi. And the hypothesis of a trans-Pacific migration independent of a single overland migration from Siberia was, and to some extant still is considered preposterous. Considering that linguistic evidence regarding the divergence of the Uto-Aztecan language family, Edgar Cayce’s date for the sinking of Lemuria of 12,600 years ago is astonishing! (5750-1)

There is one very interesting disparity between the readings and the Hopi myth. The latter states the pole change caused the world to freeze over; and the former, the ice caused the pole shift. (5249-1)

American anthropologists have considered it impossible for people to have been in the Western Hemisphere prior to the opening of the hypothetical ice-free corridor after the last glacial maximum. Now, however, the fields of genetics and linguistics are challenging archaeologists to dig deeper; and along the way, they are confirming the Edgar Cayce readings, as well as the Hopi myths.

John Fuhler has been involved in the field of alternative medicine for more than 25 years. He received his BA in anthropology from the University of Illinois and studied in Glasgow, Scotland, and Portland, Ore. As an amateur archaeologist, he participated in projects in Ariz., Calif., Hawaii, N.M., and Wis.; reporting discoveries in Ore. and Scotland. His tribal affiliations include: Saxon, Friesian, Bohemian, Irish (O'Meagher clan), and Wyandot. He volunteers his skills with organizations supporting the homeless, forest services, and families. He enjoys reading the bible in Greek and Latin.

i Waters, F. 1963. (Reprinted 1977). Book of the Hopi. Penguin Books. 5.ii Waters, F. idem. 16-20.iii These data are based upon vocabulary retention rates of 81% and 86% per millennium. For the distribution of the language family see Silver, S. and Miller, W.R. 1997. American Indian Languages: Cultural and Social Contexts. The University of Arizona Press: Tucson. 286-292.iv Malhi et al. 2002. The Structure of Diversity within New World Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups: Implications for the Prehistory of North America. American Journal of Human Genetics. 70. Figure 2; cf. Malhi, et al. 2003. Native American mtDNA Prehistory in the American Southwest. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 120: 112, 118.v Torroni et al. 1993. Asian Affinities and Continental Radiation of the Four Founding Native American mtDNAs. American Journal of Human Genetics 53: 585; Brown et al. 1998. mtDNA Haplogroup X: An Ancient Link between Europe/Western Asia and North America? American Journal of Human Genetics 63: 1858; and Mishmar et al. 2005. Natural selection shaped regional mtDNA variation in humans. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=140917vi For the span of time required for the diversity of Haplogroup B in the Western Hemisphere, see Achilli et al. 2008. The Phylogeny of the Four Pan-American MtDNA Haplogroups: Implications for Evolutionary and Disease Studies. PLoS ONE 3(3). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2258150/vii Waters, op cit. 17-18.

A Prayer for the World By Karen Boldt

As I work toward a better understanding of the readings, particularly
those given for the Prayer Group (the 281 series), I become more and more aware
that only the Divine heals. I am merely a channel; therefore, the first step is
to become a clear channel of God’s love. It is only through my desire to heal
myself that I can help others experience the healing in themselves. Perhaps
this is why the original prayer group that continues to this day is called the
Glad Helpers and not the Glad Healers. I believe this idea is best expressed in
the following reading:

Remember—as in the
experiences of life, as in those examples that are set before us in every
manner and way—there are few words that may be said other than that the kingdom
is within, and “I am my brother’s keeper.” These are immutable—these change
not. (Reading 1151-17)

Let’s take time today in the celebration of World Prayer Day
to truly emphasize the healing nature of prayer and meditation, not only for
ourselves but for our fellow human beings. At each weekly meeting, the Glad
Helpers pray for the world, calling the name of each country, which now totals
close to 200.

At times, it can be a challenge to know what to pray. Below
is a Prayer for the World written by Meredith Ann Puryearwhoserved on staff at the
A.R.E. in the Prayer Services Department and worked with the Glad Helpers
Prayer Group and with the A Search for God material for over forty years before
her death.

We pray for all nations, territories, and islands of the world and their leaders.

We pray for all troubled spots over the earth. We pray for the stability of the continental land masses and the island groups, the purification of all the waters of the earth, the healing of the atmosphere and of Mother Earth herself, and that all the peoples of the world may be good stewards of the earth and all the resources of their lands.

We pray for all religious leaders and teachers, religions, and spiritual groups that teach the oneness of God and the brother-sisterhood of all humankind.

We send your light, love, joy, healing power, and peace to every receptive center of consciousness in the earth...and in the universe...and pray that it be reflected from there to bring peace and harmony throughout the whole world.

Let’s remember and recognize not only our connection to the Divine, but the connection with our brothers and sisters everywhere.

How Can I Work with Ideals?
By Kevin J. Todeschi

[Please note: This article is the second of two parts. The first part appeared in our last post, or you may read the entire
article in our member magazine Venture Inward in the member-only section of our website (Jan-Mar 2013 issue).]

The challenge of working with ideals seems to be one in which we’re encouraged to move beyond simply a personal intellectual
exercise. That next step is to be able to map out strategically how our ideals will affect interactions with others, our
surroundings, and even ourselves. Then, we’ve got to be ready to act on them, to put them to the test.
The changes we’re looking for in the process of working with ideals must be within ourselves. Even though our sense of an “ideal
situation” or “ideal relationship” may include conditions changing or another person changing, Cayce emphasized that self-change
is the key.

“First, know thy ideal—spiritually, mentally, materially. Not so much as to what you would like others to be, but what may be
your ideal relationships to others!” (Edgar Cayce reading 1998-1)

Many individuals have found that the key to making a spiritual ideal practical in their material lives is to work with a
frequently mentioned concept in the Cayce readings: “Spirit is the Life; Mind is the Builder; and the Physical is the Result.”
That three-part sequence suggests a three-part way of setting ideals.

The first step is to take a sheet of paper, and draw two vertical lines to create three columns. Label the first column, “My
Spiritual Ideal”; the second, “My Ideal Mental Attitudes”; and the third, “My Ideal Physical Activities.” Although the Cayce
readings encourage us to choose a challenging spiritual ideal, it’s recommended that the spiritual ideal we choose be something
we can understand, work with, and see progressively manifesting in our lives. Ultimately, a spiritual ideal is the highest
“spiritual” quality or attainment that we could hope to have motivating us in our lives right now. The word “spiritual” has
connotations of viewing life more broadly than just a materialistic perspective.

For some people, a spiritual ideal is most closely associated with the pattern for living set by Jesus. For others it might be a
distinct quality, such as “love” or “kindness” or “forgiveness.” Many people have found it useful to choose that quality or
attribute which is currently missing or lacking in their own lives and in their relationships with others. As we look across the
array of relationships and situations we now face, what quality is most deeply needed? For example, perhaps we may find that
more than anything else we need to be more “forgiving” or more “understanding” in our interaction with other people. Of course,
that’s simply the quality needed right now more than any other one. As months and years go by, we change and grow. Quite
naturally, the word or phrase we might choose would also change and evolve. That’s the dynamic feature of working with ideals in
the Cayce tradition.

Let’s consider a more concrete example: Suppose that our spiritual ideal is currently going to be “forgiveness.” We’ve chosen
that particular quality because it seems so central to what we now need to improve a host of difficult situations. It also
describes a sense of life that lifts us out of the material, cause-and-effect way of running our lives. We find that forgiveness
is a spiritual quality because of this inspirational impact it can have on us. And so, the single word “forgiveness” would be
written under the first column, which we previously labeled “My Spiritual Ideal.”

Under the second column, we can begin to list “My Ideal Mental Attitudes.” They are states of mind and ways of thinking which
will help build that spirit of forgiveness into our relationships with others and with ourselves. What might some of these
mental ideals be? Perhaps “compassion” is an attitude we want to work toward in relation to a frustrating parent; maybe
“openness” is the mental attitude we want to hold toward a daughter with whom we’ve been having difficulty; and possibly
“patience” describes that attitude to use with ourselves. Our ideals chart should list the key people in our lives with whom we
need to exercise this spiritual ideal of forgiveness. And once we’ve finished making our entries, this second column will list
the positive mental attitudes which are stepping stones toward being forgiving—that is, toward fully realizing our spiritual
ideal.

Under the second column, we can begin to list “My Ideal Mental Attitudes.” They are states of mind and ways of thinking which
will help build that spirit of forgiveness into our relationships with others and with ourselves. What might some of these
mental ideals be? Perhaps “compassion” is an attitude we want to work toward in relation to a frustrating parent; maybe
“openness” is the mental attitude we want to hold toward a daughter with whom we’ve been having difficulty; and possibly
“patience” describes that attitude to use with ourselves. Our ideals chart should list the key people in our lives with whom we
need to exercise this spiritual ideal of forgiveness. And once we’ve finished making our entries, this second column will list
the positive mental attitudes which are stepping stones toward being forgiving—that is, toward fully realizing our spiritual
ideal.

But this still leaves the third column—physical ideals—the most detailed. It’s the one place to write out all those physical
activities we’ll do in relationship to specific individuals or situations. Entries in the column labeled
“My Ideal Physical Activities” should be linked to the mental attitudes to which we’ve just made a commitment. For example, with
the relationship to ourselves and the mental attitude of “patience,” perhaps each of the following would be ideal activities to
help foster both patience and self-forgiveness:

stop saying (or even thinking) “I can’t”;

make a list of every instance where I have been forgiven for something;

begin praying that I will have the determined endurance to go forward.

For each ideal attitude and important relationship, we should have next to it a list of activities with which we’ll be working.
These are our physical ideals—our activities which can map out ways to bring the spiritual ideal into the material world. We’ll
know that progress has been made with our spiritual ideal when the mental attitude on the ideals sheet becomes our usual state
of mind and the physical activity listed becomes our automatic and natural response. As we really begin to work with ideals,
making them a part of who we are, we can then choose a more challenging direction—a brighter North Star toward which we can
point our lives. The important thing is to work with our ideals because we’ll discover what it is we should be doing in the
situations where we find ourselves.
Life is purposeful. Setting and applying ideals is the best way to uncover that purposefulness.

As we work with ideals, we’ll discover that they need to be fine-tuned, becoming even more challenging with the passage of time.
As an example, if one of our physical ideals is “gentleness of speech,” we can find many ways to work with it—even across the
breakfast table. Those intentional efforts continue until it becomes a natural part of us. Once our conversation matches up with
“gentleness of speech,” we could stretch ourselves a little more and reword that physical ideal to be “acting in a friendly
way.” Now we have a new set of challenges and room for further growth. This same kind of expansion can happen with each one of
our physical ideals, our mental ideals, and even the spiritual ideal itself.

Ultimately, There Is One Ideal
Although the readings encourage us to “choose a personal ideal,” they also assert that “there is only one Ideal.” One individual
was told, “There is one way, but there are many paths.” (3083-1) In essence, this suggests that each of us is moving toward an
“ultimate ideal.” Whether we want to label that ideal “perfection” or the “Christ
Consciousness” or “God Consciousness” or whatever term is most comfortable, the ultimate ideal is the highest spiritual
attainment possible. However, each of our smaller ideals (such as “love” or “service” or “kindness”) can serve as building
blocks toward that highest ideal.

Ideas vs. Ideals
Although each of us might have different ideas, plans, or goals about how things should be done, the readings advise that—in
spite of all our differences—we can share a common why. Even during the turmoil and international chaos of the 1930s, the
readings gave a “prescription” that could serve to bring all of humanity together. In spite of the fact that each nation had
different ideas, Cayce suggested the world could share a common ideal. That ideal was his
“answer to the world”:

“The world as a world ... has lost its ideal. Man may not have the same idea. Man—all men—may have the same ideal! ... that can
only come with all having the one ideal; not the one idea but ‘Thou shalt love the Lord Thy God with all thine heart, thy
neighbor as thyself!’ This [is] the whole law, this [is] the whole answer to the world, to each and every soul. That is the
answer to world conditions as they exist today.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3976-8)

Repeatedly, the readings encourage us to become aware of what we are building within ourselves. Ultimately we’ll have the chance
to meet it! As we work with a conscious ideal, not only is our direction made more clear, but the ideal becomes a living,
breathing portion of who we are at a soul level. An ideal is like a personal tapestry that we create one stitch at a time. It
can be worked with and ironed out and toiled over until the end result is something we can proudly share in our interactions
with others. Each of us has the opportunity to consciously decide who we wish to become as well as how long it takes us to get
there.

“Thus the warnings that there be the sureness in self as to what is the ideal—not merely from a religious or theosophical or
theological standpoint, but according to what is thy ideal of home, home life, friends, friendship, relationships with
individuals, and the conditions as may surround the entity; physically, yes; mentally, to be sure; but above all spiritually.”
(Edgar Cayce reading 2428-1)

The Importance of Ideals
By Kevin J. Todeschi

At different periods in our lives, all of us struggle with what we should be doing, where we should be going, or how we might possibly fill that special niche which God has in mind for us. We often find ourselves searching for something, yet unsure what it is. One of the most frequently mentioned principles in the Edgar Cayce readings is the concept of “ideals,” and it’s that very same principle that can provide us with an approach to answering this inner call.

Because the readings recommend writing down our ideals—physically, mentally, and spiritually—we might believe this is a one-time assignment. We might assume that filling in columns on an ideals chart or jotting down notes will be something never again wrestled with once set on paper. And yet, Cayce made it clear that working with ideals should become a frequent activity in our lives—one in which we’re challenged, encouraged, and even prodded to begin a personal masterpiece at a soul level. From this approach, the readings’ insights on ideals provides assistance in helping us manifest in our lives the very best we have to offer our world, our God, and ourselves.

In simplest terms an ideal is the motivating influence of our lives. It undergirds the intentionality of why we do what we do. It is like a North Star that guides us in the dark of night—allowing us to focus on the direction in which we wish to be headed.

Whereas a “goal” is something attainable, in Cayce’s terminology an “ideal” always keeps challenging and stretching us. It’s really a motivating pattern that guides our lives. A personal ideal is like the rays of the sun that can warm our faces as we’re pointed towards it. You can’t help but know when you’re looking at it head-on!

What may be surprising from the readings’ perspective is that everyone works with ideals, even if it’s done unconsciously. For example, in reading #1011-1 the person was told, “Each individual entity, whether aware of same or not, sets before self an ideal in the material world, in the mental world, in the spiritual world.”

Ultimately, that which an individual dwells upon, he or she then becomes.

Since ideals shape our lives, our experiences, and even who we’re becoming, then, by definition, they must be extremely important. But Cayce goes even one step further. As he told one person: “Then the more important, the most important experience of this or any individual entity is to first know what is the ideal—spiritually.”
(Edgar Cayce Reading 357-13)

Not only is it very important, it is the most important thing we can do.

[Please note: This article is the first of two parts. The second part will appear in our next blog, or you may read the entire article in our member magazine Venture Inward in the member-only section of our website (Jan-Mar 2013 issue).]

Why Edgar Cayce?
By Jerry Lazarus

“Each of us has the same spirit that gives us the ability to interpret our dreams.”

Over the years people have asked me why I’m interested in Cayce’s approach to dream interpretation. While I’ve studied Freud, Jung, and many contemporary dream theorists, none offer the depth, breadth, and scope of Cayce’s understanding of dreams.

Cayce started interpreting dreams in 1923, some two decades after Freud published his work Interpretation of Dreams. Cayce placed an extraordinary emphasis on dreams, along with prayer and meditation. In reading 3744-2, Cayce said: “In this age, at present, 1923 … there is not sufficient credence given dreams; for the best development of the human family is to give the greater increase in knowledge of the subconscious, soul or spirit world. This is a dream.”

Cayce interpreted 1,500 dreams for 69 people over a 20-year period. These dreams were by no means unique; they were the everyday dreams of Everyman and Everywoman. It was his interpretations that set him apart from most dream theorists. Here we find a parallel to Cayce’s medical readings. Repeatedly, many doctors completely agreed with Cayce’s diagnoses, but they disagreed with his treatment methods.

Such immediate and accurate analysis, whether of dreams or of illnesses, poses an enormous challenge to conventional minds. How can we begin to fathom Cayce’s extraordinary abilities to work with dreams? His skills included but were not limited to:

interpreting anyone’s dream with swiftness, surety, and accuracy

recalling parts of or entire dreams forgotten by the dreamer

correcting parts of dreams inaccurately recalled by the dreamer

predicting when a person will dream about a certain topic, sometimes pinpointing the exact night

interpreting the dream’s symbols and message before hearing the dream;

connecting the theme in a current dream with a past one, describing what the dreamer had done or not done about it

commenting on the dreamer’s undisclosed intimate details, including those of dreamers he wasn’t acquainted with

A study of the large collection of dreams Cayce interpreted shows that he departs from dream interpretation techniques embraced by popular culture, including the views of many psychologists and psychiatrists. Dreams are not mere fantasies, and they deal with more than psychological issues. They address and enrich all aspects of a person. Dreams reflect an individual’s purpose, makeup, and destiny. This destiny is to become well-rounded and complete individuals, fit to be companions and co-creators with God. Embarking on a spiritual journey and being open to making changes, we can expect much understanding from our dreams. They are telling us about our attitudes and aspirations, characteristics and capabilities, strengths and sincerity. Our dreams address all these in some form, at one time or another, but not randomly, for dreams are perfectly timed and sequenced.

Someone asked Cayce, “What state or trend of development is indicated if an individual does not remember dreams?” His answer was direct and succinct: those who do not recall and apply their dreams show “negligence” in their association with God. The desire to know God and oneself impels an individual to pay attention to his dreams. (5754-3)Even Cayce, with all his psychic abilities, was repeatedly told in the readings to study his dreams—which he did. Cayce encouraged someone, “And too oft, ye disregard them; or too seldom do ye pay any attention to them! They are parts of thy experience. How oft have ye visioned in symbol or in dream those very things that happened to thee later!” (1537-1)

Cayce’s interpretations demonstrated his ability to tap into a higher level of knowing: what has been, what is, and what might be for each person. However, narrating facts of past events without reflection and challenge carries little meaning; speaking of current events without regard for their implications has no transformative value; commenting on the future without a spiritual framework for growth and change does not fully engage the dreamer. Dreamers are to work with what they have in hand, within the time, place, and circumstances, applying the highest ideals they know.

A spiritual force operated within Cayce. That force was not merely churning out data about a person or topic; anchored in love, it encouraged everyone to grow to their highest potential. Cayce assures us that we too have the same spiritual force, giving us the ability to interpret our own dreams.

Jerry Lazarus is a spiritual life coach, speaker, and author. He has a master’s degree in religion and meditation, and has studied Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity. Jerry is the dream columnist for Venture Inward magazine, a frequent speaker for A.R.E. conferences, and teaches a course on dreams at Duke University. He leads workshops and retreats on dreams, meditation, ideals, comparative religion, and other spiritual and mystical topics across the United States. His book, Dreams: Listening to the Voice of God, is available at his Web site: jerrylazarus.com.

Experiencing God
By Brent Parisen

My experience started in 1970, when a friend told me how she and her friend had personal experiences with Jesus. They were delivered from an addiction and subsequently converted to Christianity. Then she asked me if I was saved. I replied that I didn’t even know if Jesus was real, having grown up in an agnostic household that did not attend church.

Several nights later, out of a heartfelt desire to know the truth about Jesus, I asked if he existed, feeling that if God is omniscient and all powerful, He could easily hear me and answer in a way that I would know beyond all doubt it was not my imagination. I felt that my asking needed to be totally heartfelt, wanting to sincerely know the absolute truth of the matter. Several nights later, I dreamt of Jesus with my head on His shoulder, feeling love, which was so strong that it woke me up with tears. Then, thinking about it, focusing on Jesus, the love grew stronger and stronger to the point where all I wanted to do was be with Him, and absolutely nothing else mattered. As I continued focusing on Him the love continued to grow, to be like fire, becoming more unbearable due to the intensity.

I had the impression that I was experiencing only one photon of the sun as His expression of love, which was becoming unbearable and really just the beginning. In retrospect, this makes perfect sense, since I’m finite and He’s infinite with infinite love, and it’s just not possible for the “finite” to manage the infinite in our limited form. By at the time, I felt like my nerves could handle no more, so I stopped focusing on Him and the experience stopped. My impression was that it’s impossible to carry on life in this three-dimensional world while fully sensing Him, since the experience is all consuming.

After that experience, hearing the right kind of music or devotional material would put me in a receptive state to sense Him, and I would break down in complete absorption. If I’m out in public and start to think about Him, making a good connection, I get the same heartfelt love and have to shut it off so as not to make a scene in front of other people.

Around 2001, I had a strong impression that I was now to focus on the Father. So I did and did not feel any difference in the energy; they were absolutely identical. This made me wonder if I was really focusing on the Father since there was no difference. My next thought was “what about the Holy Spirit?” I thought it would probably be the same, but I did change my attention, and to my surprise I felt a strong feminine, very demure presence. So then I returned to the Father and had a number of strong impressions:

We need the veil to function on earth; otherwise, it’s impossible to carry out our purposes due to the all-consuming distractions, and our bodies cannot handle the intensity of the influence. There would be no desire to live.

The intensity of love (from Him, and to Him) is like fire that is agony and ecstasy. I’ve recently read that souls in purgatory suffer due to a longing, fire of love for God that burns out their sins so they can enter Heaven.

What I find interesting whenever I read that “God loves us” is that it is a vast under-statement, it doesn’t even begin to describe the amount of His love, which is infinite, way beyond our comprehension. As I’ve indicated, full experience of Him would burn us out.

There is such a strong sense of life from Him that when I moved away in consciousness, there was utter emptiness, no life, absolutely no desire to live, it was truly horrible.

Since God is everywhere, it’s not physically possible to move away from Him, only in consciousness.

When I focused on His presence, He was truly everywhere and so strong—stronger than the physical world we live in—I wondered if the physical world is real. Truly ironic that in reality He is more real than the physical world. I had the impression that He doesn’t want to impose Himself in our lives, so he remains incognito.

I felt that He was truly understandable, straightforward, and unchangeable; whereas mankind is a veritable hodgepodge, Gordian knot, mass of contradictions. It seemed like there is no mystery in God, only in man.

Going to Heaven is not enough, only union with the God is enough.

Looking at Him, there is such beauty that all I wanted to do is praise Him; I could not help it, it was involuntary.

God has and continues to create unimaginable universes, physical and non-physical, in multi-dimensions; however, He values heart-to-heart communion with us more than anything else.

Looking back, I can see that I have to first ask Him before I can receive an answer.
That way He knows I am truly ready to receive and make use of an answer, and He doesn’t want to impose on me.

I certainly appreciate the Cayce material stressing the importance of seeking God in everything, including meditation. As said, seek and ye shall find. So, the initiative is on our part, we must first seek Him. I remember Cayce saying to settle for nothing less than walking and talking with God.

Brent Parisen graduated with a BSEE degree from the University of Michigan in 1969. After college he worked at Hughes Aircraft in California, where he had his spiritual awakening while living near the beach. Later, he worked at Nortel, until his eventual retirement in 2000. He and his then-wife Barbara were active in study groups, and he has been an A.R.E. member for several years.

American Indians and the Edgar Cayce Readings
By John Fuhler

Eleven thousand years ago, an event that would forever change the face of North America occurred: a mother with an exceptionally rare genetic marker bore a daughter, who passed along the same genetic marker to her daughters. This particular genetic marker (Haplogroup X2) directly links the peoples of Northeastern North America to the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. Currently the actual migration route by which this was achieved is unknown inasmuch as contemporary archaeology is concerned. What can be demonstrated by geneticists is the populations with this specific genetic marker migrated out of Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean into Eurasia and North America around or after the Last Glacial Maximum. Based on the nature of the mutations distinguishing the American from the Middle Eastern form of this genetic marker, these populations arrived in North America no later than 11,000 years ago.

Source Wikipedia Distribution of haplogroup X

Of great importance to this discussion is that the American Haplogroup X2 is linked to the Western Eurasian version of this marker. Haplogroup X is unknown in Siberian or East Asian populations; and the eastern-most mutation of the marker, occurring in the Altay Region of Central Asia, didn’t arrive there until some 4,300 years after Haplogroup X2 had appeared in America.i

Until recently American anthropologists held firmly to the hypothesis that all indigenous American peoples were descended from one group of Asian people who crossed the land bridge over the Bering Sea during the last Ice Age. This hypothesis is being challenged on all sides, and not only by the genetic data, but also by archaeological and linguistic data.ii

Source Wikipedia: DNA

In a recent article in the Occasional Papers of the Epigraphic Society, data corroborative of the geneticists’ findings demonstrated the intimate relationship between the languages of the Algonquian peoples of Northeastern North America, and the Afro-Asiatic languages of North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Using several measures of linguistic affinity, the genetic relationship of the two language families was proven. Among the data given, it was demonstrated that the similarities between the Menominee and Hebrew pronominal affixes being due to chance is 0.000005. This greatly exceeds the measure of 0.00001 required to establish a (linguistic) genetic relationship. Another example was a comparison of the Proto-Afro-Asiatic and Proto-Algonquian pronominal systems. The probability of the similarities between the two proto-languages being due to chance is 0.00000625. Again, the genetic relationship is affirmed. And as if these two measures weren’t enough, a statistical analysis of two sets of words, one Egyptian, the other Ojibwa, each set representing a group of words derived from a common root, revealed the probability of these being similar by chance is 0.000000039!iii

American anthropology cannot explain these relationships. Prior to the discovery of Haplogroup X, there was no serious consideration of the possibility of a trans-Atlantic relationship between Old and New World peoples. Even today it is so challenging for conventional archaeologists to explain the genetic relationship, several scholars continue to cleave to the old hypothesis of the trans-Beringia crossing. They choose to believe a group of adventuresome individuals, the women bearing the Haplogroup X2 marker, traveled some 10,000 km. (6,000 mi.) from the Altay Region of Central Asia to the Western Great Lakes of America, the heart of the genetic marker in America, without leaving a telltale genetic trace along the way!

Source Wikipedia An Ojibwe named Boy Chief, by the noted American painter George Catlin

The questions arise, then, from where did these trans-Atlantic populations come, and how did they arrive at their final destinations? The Edgar Cayce readings provide tantalizing clues. Before embarking upon the explication of specific readings, it must be kept in mind that Mr. Cayce’s contemporary archaeologists believed the Algonquian Indians had only entered the continent about 366 CE!iv Their apparent route was across the Bering Strait, down through the Yukon, and then across the Great Plains, all on foot. Since that time, generations of American archaeologists and anthropologists have worked diligently to make the data fit the assumption that all Western Hemisphere peoples came in one wave across the Bering Strait during the last Ice Age through the hypothetically ice-free corridor. Against this backdrop we find Edgar Cayce presenting very different information.

In the readings, the peopling of the Americas was accomplished by several different mechanisms, including Creation, as well as multiple waves of migration. The immigrants came from Lemuria, Atlantis, the Promised Land, etc.

The appearance of man…was in five different places…at the same time. The white race…in the Carpathian basin, the yellow in Tibet, the red in Atlantis, the brown in Lemuria, the black in Africa. (294-202 Report)

Before the final destruction…many of the inhabitants migrated to adjoining countries. The Inca and Aztec were descendants…as were the American Indians… (364-6 Report )

The eastern seaboard was the coastal region of Atlantis… (364-13 Report)

…during those periods…those peoples that were Lost Tribes came into the land…
How did the Lost Tribes reach this country? Boats. (Edgar Cayce Reading 5750-1)

Numerous possibilities for dispersion of the Haplogroup X2 genetic marker are suggested in these readings. But several questions arise. During which of the migrations did the populations in question arrive at their current locations? Why, given the frequency of the Atlantis-Yucatan Peninsula relationship mentioned in the readings, is this genetic marker focused on the Great Lakes, and especially the western end of Lake Superior? If the Lost Tribes were the source of the genetic marker, why do the geneticists not find a more recent arrival time, which conforms to the time frame given in the readings? Inasmuch as the Algonquian Language Family is concerned, its entrance into North America appears to have been much farther to the north relative to the Yucatan.v Why are there no readings identifying this area as a place of entrance of the migrating Atlanteans? Or are we to assume that the Atlanteans were already living along the Eastern Seaboard?

On the other side of the Atlantic, the hypothetical progenitor of Haplogroup X2 occurs across North Africa. Is this a vestige of the first emigration to the Pyrenees and Morocco mentioned in Reading 364-6? Does the occurrence of Haplogroup X2 in North America represent the migrations which preceded the final destruction of Atlantis about 12,000 years ago? Remember, it was this wave of emigrants whom Edgar Cayce identified as forebears of the Inca, Aztec, and American Indians.

Many of Edgar Cayce’s statements about the peopling of North America, and the Western Hemisphere in general, have only recently and coincidentally been corroborated by archaeologists. It has become increasingly difficult for the archeologists to make the data fit the paradigm.vi The field of linguistics is challenging the conventional wisdom, as well. And much of what the linguists are learning is confirming the evidence in the readings. Given that American archaeology is still in its infancy, one can only imagine what remains to be discovered.

John Fuhler has been involved in the field of alternative medicine for more than 25 years. He received his BA in anthropology from the University of Illinois and studied in Glasgow, Scotland, and Portland, Ore. As an amateur archaeologist, he participated in projects in Ariz., Calif., Hawaii, N.M., and Wis.; reporting discoveries in Ore. and Scotland. His tribal affiliations include: Saxon, Friesian, Bohemian, Irish (O'Meagher clan), and Wyandot. He volunteers his skills with organizations supporting the homeless, forest services, and families. He enjoys reading the bible in Greek and Latin.

i Reidia, et al. Am J Hum Genet 2003 November 73(5):1178-1190 (Published online Oct 20, 2003: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/issues/120394/).ii Cf. Gugliotta, G. The First Americans. Smithsonian. February 2013 43(10):38-47.iii Fuhler, J.T. Occasional Papers of the Epigraphic Society. 2007. Vol. 25. pp59ff.iv Voegelin, C.F, et al. 1954. Walam Olum or Red Score: The Migration Legend of the Lenni Lenape or Delaware Indians. Indianapolis. 277.v Siebert, F.T. 1967. The Original Home of the Proto-Algonquian People. In Contributions to Anthropology Linguistics I (Algonquian). Anthropological Series 78. National Museum of Canada Bulletin 214:12-47. Rogers, R.A. 1985. Glacial Geography and Native North American Languages. In Quaternary Research 23:130-137.vi The degree to which American archaeologists have gone to make new data fit the established paradigm is demonstrated by the volume of data which are rejected by them. The reader is encouraged to find and explore Forbidden Archaeology: the Hidden History of the Human Race, by M.A. Cremo and R.L. Thompson. One of the reports included therein documents the Calico Site findings of Louis S. B. Leakey, whose name is synonymous with anthropology worldwide, but whose work in California doesn’t even merit a footnote in most textbooks.

A Mother's Prayer
By Carolyn Kresse Murray

On a cool December morning, two days before Christmas 1998, Daniel joined our family. Motherhood was my happy place. My daughter was turning three years old in a few days, and I was ready for this baby boy. When I gave birth the first time, I finally knew what people were talking about when they used the word bliss. I’d never felt such complete satisfaction in a job or relationship before. This was round two.

That same afternoon our pediatrician stopped in to meet him. From the other side of the room she took measurements, something that had already been done in the delivery room, and spoke to my husband. I heard a word and knew immediately what it meant. It was a life-changing word.

“There’s some relative microcephaly here,” Dr. Barbara was saying. I’m a Registered Nurse, and Daniel’s father is an MD whose specialty is brain injury. He knew the meaning of the word, too. We were both stunned. This second shot at parenting would be very different from the first.

A diagnosis of microcephaly means that the brain is small. Daniel’s head circumference was on the growth charts, but just barely. His height and weight were well within the tenth percentile, so in comparison to the rest of him, his head was microcephalic. Most of the time microcephaly is equated with mental retardation and a shortened lifespan. It’s generally a symptom of a larger issue, and many genetic disorders have micro as a feature.

During our hospital stay I tried very hard to erase that diagnosis. I questioned other doctors on staff. One early morning, mid-way through the night shift, I was awake in the special care nursery where Daniel was moved because of low blood sugars and jaundice. I quizzed the neonatologist about the measurements. I told him our pediatrician’s opinion that my newborn was microcephalic, and asked him what his thoughts were. He said that, no, a head circumference of 12.5 inches was well within normal range. This doctor had a big title; he had to know what he was talking about. Ha! Dr. Barbara was wrong!

When I reported this to her the next day, she wasn’t bothered that I challenged her suspicions. That’s not her style. She’s a smart doctor with sharp instincts. She stood by her observation that Daniel was microcephalic, and said we’d talk about it more when we went home. Still, I scratched out the word microcephaly on his discharge papers before signing them. I’m nothing if not a stubborn mama.

A month later we met for consultations with a genetics specialist and a neurologist. It was official. I couldn’t scribble away the microcephaly word any longer.

The early days were rough. Physically, I was raw from lack of sleep and emotionally I panicked. I imagined the worst and didn’t know if I was up to the task. No one could give us a prognosis since his only diagnosis was microcephaly. He didn’t gain weight no matter what we tried, and he cried all the time.

What did this mean, and would I be up to the challenge? I imagined him staying exactly this way forever, with me holding and rocking a wailing 45 year old baby. I unraveled.

I needed to learn new skills this time around. I didn’t want to. I wasn’t happy about it. I also knew I had no choice. This was not a repeat of my first experience with being a mother. I couldn’t do this if I didn’t gain some spiritual and emotional footing. I remembered the months leading up to Daniel’s birth. It was important to find peace in my soul, and remember that he was exactly where he needed to be, with the body and brain intended for him.

Before Daniel was conceived, I was working on a proposal for a book on conscious conception, the idea that we can invite a soul into our lives with intention and prayer. My first book, Walking the Spiritual Walk, had a chapter entitled “Awaiting the Gift” that touched on that concept.

In my research on the way other cultures prepare for pregnancy, I read a book called The Conception Mandala: Creative Techniques for Inviting a Child into Your Life by Mark Olsen and Samuel Avital. Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning sacred circle, and they’re sometimes used in Buddhist meditation.

In late 1997, I tried my hand at a conception mandala. I drew a giant circle on a poster board with a rainbow border. The circle had four sections within it, each with pictures, poems and prayers inside. In one of the sections, I wrote the words “Angel Baby” and glued a picture of a child-angel sitting on a sliver of a moon staring at the stars (a few years later, Debra Snyder, author of Intuitive Parenting and president of The Heartglow Center, invited me to join an online support group for mothers of children with similar disabilities called AngelBabyMoms). It was a little out there, maybe, but prayerful, and something I took seriously.

I pasted a little piece of my daughter Melody’s pink and blue newborn hospital cap onto the page. I wrote lines from favorite poems, including Wordsworth’s “Intimations of Immortality”:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star
Hath had elsewhere its setting
And cometh from afar
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy

Thinking about the mandala, and the idea that we’d prepared for him and invited him into our lives gave me hope. I still had my doubts, though.

It’s in my nature to doubt, but also to believe. I’m willing to explore and be a little far out, but I am skeptical and down-to-earth as well. These polarities are part of who I am, and they don’t diminish the faith I have in the soul journey we’re on. Daniel chose us as parents. His soul knew what it was doing. He is here to teach and learn the art of loving. We each are.

It’s been a long time since I first heard the word microcephaly. My marriage ended for reasons unrelated to Daniel’s challenges. He is loved dearly by both of us, but it has been up to me to maintain his care. There’ve been lots of specialists, many hours of school and therapy, medications for the seizures that started at one year of age (also eased by following the Edgar Cayce seizure protocol), but no definitive diagnosis. Yet, it wouldn’t define who he is or what he’s about, anyway.

Daniel is gentle. His disabilities are severe and he requires full-care in every way. But his spirit is intact. The look in his eyes and the impishness in his smile are exquisite. I can see and appreciate his life. Daniel’s path is his own. I don’t know exactly why he chose to come into the world in a body that would always be dependent on others for care. I do know that he radiates joy.

The mandala I made in 1997 is still in my bedroom. The words from that invitation are fading, but clear. I pull it out from time to time to remind myself that our lives do have purpose. Microcephaly would not be the final word.

On the left side of the mandala, there is a Star of David enclosing a cross. The words, Savior Jesua, are on either side of the star, with the prayer “Be the Guide” underneath. Below is a simple request: We invite you, we bless you, and we ask that you join our home, Great Soul.

I asked and he answered. When I wrote and prayed for divine love and joy to be the central purpose of my life, I meant it. When Daniel got the invitation, he responded with acceptance. It’s that simple. It’s that profound.

Carolyn Kresse Murray discovered Edgar Cayce during childhood, and became a lifelong student of the readings. She is a registered nurse who works for the public school system. She is the author of Walking the Spiritual Walk, and her work has appeared in Nursing Magazine, the American Journal of Nursing, and Millikin Quarterly. Carolyn lives with her two teenagers and husband Rich in Jacksonville, Florida. You can read her other blogs at MyDanielsGift.blogspot.com.

The Great Pyramid’s Secret Code
By Timothy Milby

Most people know that the Great Pyramid has four sides. Many assume that they are flat. What is not well known is that the pyramid’s sides are not perfectly flat. And they never have been. At the time they were completed, the sides were covered with casing-stones made of white Tura limestone, which gave the finished Pyramid a smooth surface. Most of the original casing stones have been removed. The process of removing them started about 700 years ago. Originally, they were removed so that they could be used in the construction of other buildings in the Cairo vicinity. The remaining core masonry blocks are set in a stair-step fashion.

William Matthew Flinders Petrie,
source: Wikipedia

The fact that the sides of the Great Pyramid are not perfectly flat and straight was discovered 130 years ago by Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie. Flinders Petrie is known as the father of Egyptology. Petrie, a skillful surveyor, decided to do a precise survey of the Great Pyramid’s base and structure and also make thorough measurements of the pyramid’s interior chambers, passageways, and features. While doing his survey, Petrie noticed that the middle of each base-side of the pyramid’s core masonry was “distinctly hollowed in” (some 30 inches) instead of straight from corner to corner, and that “each side has a sort of groove” that ran from the top down the middle of the sides.

From the outer edges, the surface slants slightly inward toward the center, making a vertical center-line from the apex down the middle of each triangular side. Near the bottom, the center-line branches off left and right to form a triangle inset at the bottom center of each base-side.

Each side of the Great Pyramid was built with these angles in it, and some photographs of the pyramid show them. They are most visible when the sun makes shadows on the angles of the sides.

Why did the ancients build the pyramid’s sides angled in towards the center-line instead of making the sides perfectly flat? I believe there was a logical reason, which I will explain.

When Petrie began to do his survey of the Great Pyramid, he cleared away the sand and rubble where the four cornerstones had once sat. He found the rectangular flat depressions or sockets that were carved in the bedrock at the four corners; the casing-cornerstones sat in these corner-sockets until they were removed hundreds of years ago with most of the other casing-stones. Petrie measured the distance from the end of one corner-socket to the end of the next corner-socket at the other end of the pyramid’s base-side. He measured all four sides in this manner.

The four corner-sockets defined the pyramid’s perimeter around the base. When Petrie’s lengths of the four sides (defined by the sockets) are added together it equals 36,521 inches. That is significant because 36,525 is the number of days in the year x 100 (there are 365.25 days in the year). The ancient builders made the pyramid’s base perimeter around the four corner-sockets to equal the number of days in the year (x 100).

The distance of 36,525 inches around the base perimeter is also significant because a half-minute of longitude at the earth’s equator is equal to 36,525 inches. The earth is divided with longitude and latitude lines. The modern calculation of one-half minute longitude at the equator is 36,523 inches. It is a reasonable deduction, as I see it, that the builders deliberately made the base perimeter equal to one-half minute longitude.

Petrie found the remaining casing-stones of the Great Pyramid sitting on the base-platform. Casing-stones remained at the bottom of the pyramid in the middle of the four base-sides. Petrie projected the casing base-line down each side of the pyramid to the corners. Thus he obtained a square base-line around the pyramid, which seemed to show the original base-line of the pyramid. But his projected square base-line did not go to the far ends of the corner-sockets as one would have expected.

Petrie assumed that the original casing base-line was straight from one pyramid corner to the next corner. But with his survey, he discovered that the core-masonry blocks in the middle of the base-sides were set back some 30 inches more than the corners of the Pyramid’s core-masonry; which made the middle of the base-sides’ core-masonry slightly “hollowed in.” As for the casing-stones that covered the core blocks, Petrie assumed that the casing-stones in the middle of the base-sides had been thicker than the casing-stones near the corners (those near the Pyramid’s corners were no longer there), thereby making the casing base-line straight from corner to corner.

He was wrong. Petrie (along with everyone else) did not realize that the original casing base-sides were not perfectly straight to the corners. Actually, the casing-stones followed the angles of the core-masonry. Near the corners of the Great Pyramid the original casing began to slightly turn outward to the outside corners of the corner-sockets where the casing-cornerstones sat.

Petrie’s measurement of the four projected sides added together equals 36,275 inches around the base perimeter. Petrie’s base-perimeter distance is the same as the distance of one-half minute of latitude at the equator. The modern calculation of one-half minute of latitude at the equator is 36,278 inches.

The Great Pyramid’s constructors built in the smaller projected square base to show one-half minute of equatorial latitude. So the builders showed in the pyramid’s casing-base perimeter both one-half minute longitude and latitude at the equator. In effect the pyramid was a smaller square base inside the larger perimeter—a smaller pyramid inside a larger pyramid.

Timothy Milby is a long-time A.R.E. member and author of the book The Great Pyramid’s Secret Code and The Road to Atlantis: The Pyramid’s Amazing Mathematic Code Revealed. Milby has studied the Great Pyramid extensively—the design of its chambers and passageways and its many features and details. His website can be found at AtlantisAndTheGreatPyramid.com. You can reach him by email at tim56765@gmail.com.

Understanding Alkaline-Acid Balance

Any
discourse on the subject of the alkaline-acid balance can be either relatively
simple or endlessly complicated. This ranges from the simple advice of eating
foods that are “20 percent acid-producing to 80 percent alkaline-producing” in
order to keep an equilibrium in the body, as indicated in the Edgar Cayce
readings, (540-11) to the opinion presently held by some physicians that alkaline-acid
imbalance may be associated with degenerative disease.

DefinitionPrimarily, the condition of our blood must always be slightly alkaline, and a pH of 7.4 is
considered normal. (pH is the symbol used in expressing hydrogen ion
concentration. pH 7 is the neutral point. Above 7 alkalinity increases; below 7
acidity increases.) Any significant variation from this can spell death, so it
is necessary for the body to keep the blood at this level in spite of the
combinations of food we eat, the condition of our nervous system, and habit
patterns and local environment to which the body is exposed. However, there are
various tissues and organs of the body that vary in pH, and it seems they go
through continually alternating cycles from acid to alkaline in order for the
body to maintain the proper pH of the blood. Consequently, some body tissues
and fluids can be checked easily via secretions of saliva or urine in measuring
alkaline-acid balances.

Dr. George Crile, in his book, A Bipolar Theory of Living Processes,
explains that when cells from the liver and brain were stained, the nucleus
stained acid, while the cytoplasm around the nucleus stained alkaline. In other
words, a healthy cell is composed of a proper relationship between acid and
alkaline; if it becomes too acid or too alkaline, it dies. In exhaustion and
death, or lack of sleep, the differential stainability of the cells is
decreased, or disappears. Thus, in a sense, death is associated with loss of
the alkaline-acid balance within the individual cells of the organism.

All life is composed of this duality, which must have started with creation itself,
and with the solar systems attracting and repelling each other on the basis of
positive and negative electrical charges. As the Chinese might say, everything
is “Yin or Yang,” positive or negative, masculine or feminine, day or night;
and these are the creative forces that produce life itself. Dr. Crile says the
brain, as the positive pole, sends out energy to various parts of the body,
which are negative, but which step up energy to positive and thus send impulses
back to the brain. There are various positive-negative relationships between
organs; and most significantly from the Edgar Cayce readings we are told:

In the body we have two poles acting to the living body, the
kidneys and the liver; the active principles are the same as two poles of
electricity in the body, those which give life to the body. The liver is the
stronger, excretive and secretive. The kidneys secreting, taking from the system
the impurities. That is the use of these organs. (4909-1)

When
there is an incoordination between these organs there is a disease potential.
The human body is a bi-polar electro-chemical mechanism, in which the
individual cells keep the flame of life burning. This continual energy
conversion (oxidation) supplies the electricity which is the vital force of the
organism.

Recommendations for Keeping Balance

A normal diet is about twenty percent acid to eighty percent
alkaline-producing. (1523-3)

From the Edgar Cayce readings, and the consensus of many nutritionists, this is good advice. Dr. Bernard Jensen (nutritionist and owner of Hidden Valley Health Ranch, Escondido, Calif.) often suggests that four vegetables, two fruits, one protein, and one starch daily will provide this percentage.

The next question might be, What are acid foods, or alkaline foods? Unfortunately, foods do not react in the body as they do in a test tube, so, in reality, it is not always the foods eaten that determine the alkalinity or acidity, but what the body does with them. For example, when citrus fruits containing citric acid are oxidized in the body, they react as alkaline producers rather than acid. Even the tomato is non-acid forming (584-5). Yet dried prunes, plums, cranberries, and canned pineapple are acid-forming in the body according to Dr. George Wilson. He also notes that oatmeal, rice and whole wheat (alkaline foods) are oxidized by the body into acids. However, the acid of vinegar and hydrochloric acid are considered end products, and are not changed by the body.

Involved in this creation of acids and alkalines in the body, is the process of electrolytic combustion or oxidation, which, Dr. Wilson explains, takes place in the intercellular fluids. Its purpose is to burn up poisons, which may come from starches, sweets, fats and proteins that have been incompletely digested. Passing into the bloodstream, they become a part of the intercellular fluids. In such a state they clog intercellular spaces and cause stases, the forerunner of disease.

Information on checking the pH balance of the body was provided in the readings:

A general activity for a body in much of a normal condition is to
keep the acidity and the alkalinity in a proper balance. The best manner to
indicate this is to test the alkalinity or acidity of the body through the
salivary gland membranes, or by taking litmus paper in the mouth. This also may
be indicated through the urine. (540-11)

Suggestions
to overcome over-acidity were provided in the readings as well:

Whenever there is disturbance with this,
if it is in the glands themselves (salivary...and you checked with litmus and
found an acidity...pink color), then take citrocarbonate, that is, if it is
indicated in the salivary glands that there is an acidity, then take a small
quality of citrocarbonate. If the acidity is indicated through the kidneys, or
from the urine itself, then drink a little of the carbonated waters, (sodium
carbonate, being alkaline) as would be indicated with Coca-Cola—but that which
is bottled is the better, [In general, the readings strongly recommend the cola
syrup with plain water] or use a little of the Watermelon Seed Tea (alkaline). (540-11)

Genevieve Haller, DC,
(deceased) is former Director of Chiropractic Research for A.R.E. She served on
the Board of Trustees and participated in many conferences. This article was
excerpted from the April-June 2013 issue of Venture
Inward our member magazine and is in the Circulating File
“Acidity-Alkalinity,” available to members at EdgarCayce.org/members.

Sidney Kirkpatrick Featured on New Travel Channel Program Monumental Mysteries

Monumental Mysteries, a new television program on the Travel Channel, scours the country for America’s most extraordinary monuments and reveals the amazing mysteries hidden within. Hosted by Don Wildman, this series visits the statues, memorials, national parks, sculptures, and gravestones that commemorate our nation’s most intriguing events, notorious crimes, scandals, disasters and triumphs. A new episode airs every Thursdays at 9 p.m. (Eastern Time).

In a new episode scheduled to air on Thursday, June 27, 2013, Don Wildman travels to Hopkinsville, Ky., to visit the grave site of a mysterious psychic, Edgar Cayce. He is joined by Sidney Kirkpatrick, the author of Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet considered the definitive biography of Edgar Cayce.

Edgar Cayce was born in Christian County, Ky., on March 18, 1877. It was there that he discovered his remarkable psychic talents and embarked upon a lifetime of service to God and mankind. A simple grave marker honors him: “Edgar Cayce-a psychic counselor and healer. A humble and religious man, Cayce never profited from his predictions. Used reputed gift of extrasensory perception, including medical diagnosis, to better man's understanding of God's purpose for him here on earth. Born near here, 1877. Died, Va., 1945. Buried here.”

This episode also examines a bust of one of the greatest composers of all time, and explores a city park that is haunted by its sinister history. To learn more, visit TravelChannel.com/tv-shows/monumental-mysteries.

Sidney D. Kirkpatrick III is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and bestselling author. His book Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet—described by The New Yorker as “a codex for the New Age”—is considered the definitive biography of Edgar Cayce. The research and writing of this book took well over five years, and no other author was given such complete access to Edgar Cayce’s correspondence, traveled as widely to research the subject, or uncovered such a wealth of new material on the man regarded as “the father” of the New Age movement. Kirkpatrick is well known for his depth of knowledge and lively and engaging style. His critically acclaimed non-fiction books include A Cast of Killers, Turning the Tide, Lords of Sipan, The Revenge of Thomas Eakins, and Hitler’s Holy Relics. His documentary film, My Father the President, about Theodore Roosevelt as seen through the eyes of his daughter, Ethel Roosevelt Derby, was a winner at the American Film Festival. HBO, The History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and the A & E Television Network have all featured his work. Biographical profiles of Kirkpatrick have appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, and Playboy. He is a graduate of Hampshire College and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He and his wife Nancy regularly host events at their Portage Inn Bed & Breakfast (PortageInn.ca) in Muskoka, Ontario. Visit EdgarCayce.org/library for a new interview with Sidney discussing the fascinating Edgar Cayce Readings and latest discoveries.

March 28-29, 2014: The Pennyroyal Area Museum in Hopkinsville, Ky., for the 22nd Annual Edgar Cayce Hometown Seminar to celebrate Edgar Cayce’s birthday and history. Call the Pennyroyal Area Museum at 270-887-4270 for more information.

The Story of Moses Revisited
By Daniel Bierman

About six months ago when I re-read the story of Moses (Exodus 1-2) in my 1950s King James Version of the Bible, I was totally surprised that I now read the story with a completely new understanding. The story that unfolded for me is much more inspiring and somewhat of an awakening. The way it was explained to me in church went something like this: A Pharaoh ordered all the newborn Hebrew boys to be killed because the Hebrews were getting too powerful. So when Moses was three months old, his mother set him afloat in a basket on the Nile River to where the Pharaoh’s daughter found him and raised him as her own.

To begin, I want to focus on the School of Prophets who later were called the Essenes. This was a group composed of Hebrews and Gentiles. During Moses’ time they were preparing for the deliverer. Edgar Cayce’s reading (254-109) states,

Now let’s take a look at the real story that I’ve uncovered using history, the Bible, and Edgar Cayce’s readings. To understand the sequence of events in the life and birth of Moses, we have to go back into the biblical history that refers to Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

“So were those of the various groups, though their purpose was of the first foundations of the prophets as established, or as understood from the school of prophets, by Elijah; and propagated and studied through the things begun by Samuel. The movement was not an Egyptian one, though adopted by those in another period—or an earlier period—and made a part of the whole movement… This was the beginning of the period where women were considered as equals with the men in their activities, in their abilities to formulate, to live, to be, channels. They joined by dedication—usually by their parents.”

Later in the same reading Edgar Cayce states, “These were set aside for preserving themselves in direct line of choice for the offering of themselves as channels through which there might come the new or the divine origin, see?” This group of men, women, and children including Jochebed (Moses’ mother) and her family, dedicated their lives to a way of living that would bring greater understanding to themselves about the prophecy and its fulfillment in understanding Moses’ birth.

I believe Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, as well as Jochebed, Miriam, and Aaron were part of this group who lived to prepare themselves to help fulfill the prophecy. From reading (3659-1): For, before that the entity was in the Palestine land as a companion of Miriam, who aided in directing spiritual precepts, yea in the tenets of the law that Miriam’s mother and brethren gave to those peoples.” The training and dedication of this group is paramount in understanding the birth of Moses.

Joseph and His Brethren Welcomed by Pharaoh, watercolor by James Tissot Source Wikipedia

Looking back at why and when the promise of a deliverer came about, we can focus on Jacob’s lifetime as the story and promise of the deliverer was revealed. Jacob had 12 sons and a daughter. The older sons were jealous of their father’s favorite younger son named Joseph. They conspired to sell Joseph into slavery and tell their father that wild animals had killed him. Joseph subsequently became the governor of Egypt. With the advent of a great famine, Joseph’s family came to Egypt for food. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. The brothers then found out their brother Joseph was not dead but was a very powerful man in Egypt. Joseph and the Pharaoh invited Jacob’s family and the Hebrews to come to Egypt. They settled in an area of the Nile Valley called Goshen (Cairo). After many years, as Joseph lay dying, he told the Hebrews that a deliverer would be sent to lead them back to Canaan. In Genesis 50:24, “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” This was the promise to the Hebrews in Egypt of their deliverer.

Another group at this time was called the Hyksos, who were associated with Joseph and the Hebrews. The Hyksos basically dwelled in an area of Upper Egypt while the Hebrews inhabited the area of Ramses and Goshen of that area. Now, according to Exodus 1:8-9, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.” This new Pharaoh rose up, became fearful of the growing strength of the Hebrews and ordered that all newborn males be killed, in order to weaken the power of the Hebrews. This new Pharaoh was most likely Seqenenre Tao II. He made the decision to push the Hyksos out of Egypt. History does not mention a war against the Hebrews but it does mention a war against the Hyksos during that time period. The Hyksos were a mixed Semitic-Asiatic group of immigrants who came into Egypt and took on the Egyptian lifestyle. They were in Avaris, the Egyptians were in Thebes, and the Hebrews in Goshen. They helped Egypt by bringing the horse and chariot, new types of vegetables, composite bow, and humpback cattle into the Egyptian land. The Hyksos wanted more power. Apophis, the Hyksos’ ruler sent a message to Seqenenre Tao II complaining about the hippopotamus pool in Thebes. The Pharaoh didn’t take kindly to his message and started a rebellion to drive the Hyksos out of Egypt.

Above is an excerpt of an article in the Apr-Jun 13 issue of Venture Inward magazine. Members can read the entire story in the online Member Section.

Daniel Bierman lives in Katy, Tex., where he and his wife Mary host A Search for God study group, their most valued activity. The Biermans became Life Members in 1996 and Golden Circle members in 2012. Daniel has presented workshops on Creation, Atlantis, and Moses at the annual Southwest Region retreat. His Web site about Atlantis is at danielbierman.com.

The Great Pyramid and Me
By Uwe Wilken

For many years, I have been finding links that connect my life to the Great Pyramid in Egypt. These personal coincidences and my continued interest in the pyramid suggest to me that I am somehow connected with the pyramid. It has taken many years for me to uncover and be ready to share this information. Within the Great Pyramid, I have discovered links to my name and birthday (when using numerology), two lines drawn from the Great Pyramid point to the country of my birth as well as to two cities in Russia with my name, and even my birthdate and time correlate with aspects of the Great Pyramid. With utmost humility, I present my background and some amazing coincidences from my search for adventure, fulfillment, love, and peace.

Even before high school, I had an interest in philosophy, including the mystery of life, the universe, and man’s ultimate origin. Attending Loyola University, my minor was philosophy, which I enjoyed immensely. My Jesuit teachers tried their best to steer me toward becoming a Catholic convert, possibly even joining the priesthood, but the Eastern influence, through the “love generation,” convinced me about reincarnation and that I am responsible for all my actions, thus creating my own destiny.

After a seven-year stretch of practicing Buddhism, I again “realized” a need to explore further avenues. I transferred my philosophical inquiries to metaphysics and the arcane philosophies, such as astrology (Eastern, Western), numerology, palmistry, the tarot, the I Ching, dream exploration, theosophy, and the work of Edgar Cayce. I moved to Virginia Beach, Va., the city of the worldwide headquarters of A.R.E.; and like so many other souls before me, I wanted to join in support of the Cayce vision.

But it was astrology that impressed and taught me the most about myself. Using interpretations, transits, and solar progressions, I began by dissecting my own horoscope. After much reading in the astrological field, I found the Sabian Symbols, the individual 360 degrees of the horoscope, each one interpreted symbolically by a psychic named Elsie Wheeler. In the 1930s, the late famous astrologer Marc Edmund Jones conducted psychic sessions with Elsie, naming a degree for each of the 12 signs, and Elsie would give Marc her impression of that degree. Later, the famous philosopher/astrologer Dane Rudhyar came out with his own book on the symbols. In my horoscope, I discovered my first connection to the Great Pyramid: The angle cusp of my 7th House is 14° Sagittarius, which is interpreted as the “Sphinx and Pyramids Stand, Remains of a Glorious Past.”

Understanding the Cayce readings on the Great Pyramid and locating the Hall of Records became an obsession for me. It was reading 378-16 that started my Hall of Records quest: “…this in position lies, as the sun rises from the waters, the line of the shadow (or light) falls between the paws of the Sphinx, that was later set as the sentinel or guard, and which may not be entered from the connecting chambers from the Sphinx’s paw (right paw) until the time has been fulfilled when the changes must be active in this sphere of man’s experience. Between, then, the Sphinx and the river.”

Studying the reading, I tried to visualize how a shadow might throw some light on the records’ location. I wondered if the shadow of the Great Pyramid would ever “point” to the records. I began to read any books I could find on the Great Pyramid. One of my favorite books then verified another Great Pyramid connection—William Fix’s Pyramid Odyssey explored a commonly accepted structural engineering practice to determine the height of an object with the ratio of 7 to 11, where the height is 7/11th of its base. It seems that years ago surveyors had been in disagreement as to the Great Pyramid’s actual slope angle. This is because there is too little left at the pyramid from which to correctly measure this angle. So the ratio aids in the answer. I just happened to be born on the 7th day of the 11th month! My

second connection!

I tried to correctly draw the various shadows the Great Pyramid casts, especially during certain daytime hours and at different times of the year. This was a fairly arduous and time-consuming task. With advances to technology, I was able to utilize a computer and design software to bring my vision to life. As I became more proficient with the software, I created an exact scale model of all the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx in order to cast true shadows on the plateau.

Building the Great Pyramid digitally turned into a daily pre-occupation for me. The better I got at using the software, the more exact my models became. I created one revision after another in the pursuit of accuracy and mathematical precision. I figured that, in the future, once I had created it to a very finely tuned level, my model could be used as a study tool to verify the different themes and meanings of the inside and outside of the Great Pyramid.

Wikimedia: Great Pyramid of Giza from a 19th-century stereopticon card photo

In an early book on the Great Pyramid, Piazzi Smyth wrote about the “Bethlehem Angle” when a line drawn of its passage angle of 26° from the Great Pyramid happens to pass through Bethlehem. I wondered about using its slope angle of 52° (rounded off) and ran these in both northeast and northwest directions. Using a specific style of map projection—a Mercator Projection world map—I extended the line northwest from the Great Pyramid: it crosses the country of my birth, Germany, and runs through the Frisian Islands off the northwest coast of Germany in the North Sea. It so happens that the origin of my name, Uwe, is Frisian. When drawing it to the northeast, it pointed very near to two Russian cities, one named Uva, (similar to the pronunciation of “Uwe” by Americans, and the way I always spell it phonetically), which is at 52° North, and nearby another city named Ufa.

Finally there is also numerology. My name, Uwe Wilken, translates to 355 593255, in numerology. There are five 5s in my name. The pyramid is 5-sided (actually 8-faced, with its indentations). I was born at 5:50 p.m. If I add up my first name I get 13—and that’s the number of acres the Great Pyramid covers.

But my very, very greatest find, after completing my scale digital model, was when I discovered my birth-date in the stones of the Great Pyramid! While I wasn’t looking for anything specific, in the view of the King’s Chamber, I noticed that there were seven chambers. Turning the view sideways, to the top of the pointed gables, I counted eleven. Again, there was that ratio of 7/11. I then counted just the most massive stones in the relieving chambers. To my amazement, it came to 43—the last two numbers of the year of my birth–1943! Perhaps I am stretching it, but it just all seems to fit.

Like the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, I hope to discover when and where the Giza shadows might fall…in this case, to reveal the secret Hall of Records from the psychic readings of Edgar Cayce.

Uwe Wilken was born a year and a half before the end of WWII in Nazi Germany. He and his parents escaped from eastern Germany to Canada in 1952. His father worked as a house painter, and his mother as an insurance clerk, and they lived variously in New York, California, Colorado, and Virginia. While living in southern California, he attended high school and college, earning a degree in economics. He has been a part-time hippy, a Buddhist, and an astrologer. He retired from owning a rare and used bookshop in Norfolk, Va., in 2012 after 16 years. He and his former wife have a lovely daughter. He volunteers for the Edgar Cayce Foundation and A.R.E., where he has been a member since 1978. He enjoys outdoor photography and exploring the mysteries of the pyramids.

The World of the Intuitive Heart
By Henry Reed

When the nurse passed the patient’s room, he sensed something amiss. He turned around, examined the computer readouts—all’s fine. Except he didn’t believe it. He called the doctor. When he explained to the doctor his misgivings, she replied, “Well, nurse, you know we can’t go by hunches, we must have facts!”

And so that could be the end of the story. So much for being intuitive, if you can’t work intuitively with others. What if the story took a different turn?

After the nurse expresses his misgivings about the patient being in trouble in spite of what the computer says, the doctor says, “let’s each tune in to this patient and see what we get!”
After a moment, she says to the nurse, “now what was it like that you sensed?” And the nurse replies, “… it was a kind of up/down, on/off, soft/loud, modulating feeling and as if it was running itself down…”

The doctor notes, “Hmm... interesting, because what came to my mind, was like a rocking sensation, the back and forth of a pendulum, but it was getting slower and slower… time running out…. What does that suggest to you?” She turned to the nurse, expecting an answer.

The nurse was smiling. He now realized the answer, suggested in the similarity among their images, and noted that the doctor was smiling also.

“Exactly!” responded the doctor, who knew what measures to take to intercept this patient’s decline, now that she and the nurse’s combined intuition had stimulated the needed diagnosis.

Just imagine, a way for us to share important intuitions with one another, to better help us use this faculty to guide us into the future. It’s one thing to learn how to be aware of our own personal intuitive promptings. But what about acting upon our hunches? Often we don’t act, because we feel our intuition lacks “credentials.” That’s why it is so important that we learn how to be intuitive together! That is, it is time to free intuition from the closet of personal, subjective experiences and introduce it to the coming world of shared, consensual intuition! As our general paradigms evolve from “identity” to “relationship,” the experience of sharing intuitions to develop even greater potential for cooperation and innovation will become more and more critical to our well-being and survival.

When I was first invited by the A.R.E. to develop a psychic development program that expressed the idealism in the Cayce material, I realized that “Be Your Own Psychic!” was his essential innovation, as he turned our attention away from admiring folks with “the gift,” to working to develop the gift within. As I worked for more than 20 years researching and developing exercises and intuitive experiments to present at the A.R.E.’s annual “Edgar Cayce Legacy” psychic development conference, I came to realize that his true “legacy” is that we can be intuitive together, that intuition is capable of consensual validation. Intuition can be as objectively “real” as stuff we sense externally and can agree about; it just requires looking in a different way, for when hearts are joined, no words will do.

The Edgar Cayce Institute for Intuitive Studies was founded with the mission “to create a socially recognized, valued and applied spiritual science of intuition following the inspiration of the life and work of Edgar Cayce.” While Mr. Cayce’s innovation was be your own psychic, his ongoing legacy is that we can function intuitively together to improve life on this planet and to accomplish our spiritual mission as souls.

*Proceeds from The Intuitive Heart Discovery Group and the Edgar Cayce Institute for Intuitive Studies go to support the work of Edgar Cayce.

LOOKING FOR A LIGHTHOUSE
By Susan Luscomb

Last weekend, I stood before a throng of long-time A.R.E. members at a conference in Massachusetts alongside John Van Auken, speaking about the Cayce Work. As usual, I was virtually the “youngest” A.R.E. member in the room. Just a short time before (in A.R.E. time), I had known nothing of Edgar Cayce, and rarely came to Virginia Beach, Va., as I was too busy with my estate planning law practice. What happened? What led me to change career paths? More importantly, how did I end up in the enviable position of traveling with Charles Thomas Cayce, Kevin Todeschi, and John Van Auken, A.R.E.’s best and brightest, when I was so new to the Cayce work? What could I possibly offer to folks who have been members since I was in college?

Like many A.R.E. members, I have been a life-long spiritual seeker. My path began in the church, but after many years teaching Bible study, reading voraciously on my own, and even working with a personal spiritual advisor, I was still wandering. In my search for personal spiritual growth, I always had my eye out for a beacon I could look toward as a destination. I thought perhaps studying theology would help me find the answers that had thus far eluded me and left the puzzle of my “beliefs” incomplete with pieces I couldn’t find and tenets I couldn’t wholeheartedly embrace. It might also launch me in a new direction that I intuitively knew I was intended to take and had sought for years; one that would take me away from law practice, but toward what? I had told friends I was still interested in the law, but more interested in the law of a “higher power.” So, I started a seminary program in Richmond, Va., while still practicing law: the Masters in Divinity degree was to serve as my lighthouse.

I was on the verge of stepping up the pace of my studies when a friend said one sentence to me that changed everything. She had been a close friend from church for over 10 years, someone I respected tremendously for her faith both in words and in action. What she said to me was this: “You’ll not find what you’re looking for there, but I believe I know where you will find it.” She invited me to a conference at A.R.E. Headquarters, asked me to keep an open mind, and brought me to hear John Van Auken speak. It was immediately obvious to me that she was right. That conference was a definite turning point in my life.

Charles Thomas Cayce speaking at the A.R.E.

Over the course of the next six months, I read non-stop about all things Cayce, attended conferences, and began accumulating those missing puzzle pieces. Surprisingly, what I was learning didn’t supplant my Christian teachings—if anything, it clarified the life and role of Christ, strengthened my basic beliefs, opened my mind, and brought meaning to the Bible in ways I had never expected. It was, in a word, enlightening. It simply made sense, it felt right and true.

I’ve learned a lot in a short period of time, but I realize I have far to go. That’s okay for now. I continue to grow—thanks to members around the country that I have the good fortune to meet and to my fellow staff—now my path is one of spiritual growth and understanding. One important lesson I’ve learned is the truth of the Scripture quoted above from Psalms. I had spent much of my adult life searching for a beacon, that lighthouse shining at my ultimate destination, showing me exactly where I was supposed to go, rather than paying attention to the lamp at my feet taking me to the next step on the path, trusting that, step by step, my life purpose would be revealed to me, in God’s time, not mine. Along the way, I hope to be a channel of blessings, now, today, to those that I contact in every way, and I hope to help A.R.E. to enable others to do the same through its life-changing work.

Susan Luscomb, J.D., brings over thirty years of legal practice, including speaking, writing, and teaching as an Adjunct Professor at the Law School at William & Mary, to her position as A.R.E.’s Senior Development Officer. Until 2011, Susan was an estate planning attorney practicing in Williamsburg, Va., with significant experience in real estate, family law, and litigation. She is now using her estate planning experience for the benefit of A.R.E. and its members, and she is uniquely positioned to offer guidance about a wide variety of estate planning and related issues, including charitable and gift planning. You can contact Susan at Susan.Luscomb@edgarcayce.org.

Making the Best DecisionBy John Van Auken

Most of us have a tendency to get into a “thinking meditation,” and feel that our minds see more clearly—and to a degree they do. But the greater result is achieved by clearing our minds. Cayce said: “remove the earthly portions and the personality” and attuning or connecting our deeper soul-self to the Infinite, Universal Mind of God. Then, Cayce guided us to avoid the tendency to tell God how best to do this, but rather become completely receptive to the Mind of God, allowing the guidance to come in what Elijah called “the still, small voice.” (1Kings 19:12) Decisions are best made after we have consciously connected with the Universal Consciousness and the Creative Forces (as Cayce termed them) or God through meditation. Then, once connected, allow God to guide. As Jesus taught us, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8)

Now it is possible, even likely, that God’s guidance will come to us later, after meditative attunement, during sleep, when it is even easier than meditation for the Infinite to commune with the finite—as Elihu said in the Book of Job: “For God speaks once, yes twice, yet man perceives it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumbering upon the bed; then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction.” (Job 33:14-16)

Another factor in decision-making is the need for cooperation between the inner self and the outer self. I’ve often shown this in my Egyptian slides where the ruler of Upper Egypt or the Upper Self and the ruler of Lower Egypt or the Lower Self unite in a cooperative manner to rule the whole of the nation—symbolizing the cooperation between these two portions of our being, and likely a carryover from Cayce’s incarnation as the Egyptian High Priest Ra-Ta.

Here’s how the readings teach this: First we sit down with our outer self and our intellect and rational mind; we write down the issue at hand and all the options that we see available to us, then we identify the one that appears to be the best option. After we’ve done this outer work, we then take this option into our inner self through meditation or reflection and “feel” our inner self’s comfort or discomfort with this option. The readings then say that if discomfort is the feeling then you need to rethink your decision or consider more options. This method is closely associated with Cayce’s many teachings about setting an IDEAL against which you can measure all your options, selecting the one that best harmonizes with or supports your ideal.

Another aspect of decision-making in the Cayce readings was given to Edwin Blumenthal (number 137 in the Readings) when he asked Cayce how he could put his finances in order so that he could devote his life to psychic development The answer indicated that the greater development comes from using one’s intuition and psychic abilities to solve one’s financial or any material needs. In this way we merge the outer self and its needs with the inner self and its higher abilities to perceive from a truer level of consciousness.

(Q) How can he [137] put his finances in such a condition as to permit him to concentrate to his greatest possibility on his psychic development? (A) Be not dismayed, for the development in psychic forces must manifest in and through the present conditions, and conditions physical, financial, must of necessity be one and a part of the development. As is given in this: In whatsoever state one finds (as he has found himself) oneself, make self content; not satisfied, but content, ever working toward that oneness of mind (of body, of will, with the development), or universal, or psychic forces. Do not war against these conditions. Make of conditions the stepping-stones to the development necessary to meet the daily needs in physical, in mental, in financial. (Reading 137-7)

In reading 1602-3 Cayce actually predicts that in this coming New Age we will have better and clearer awareness of and use of our interconnectedness with the Universal Consciousness and the Creative Forces, even the forces of Nature, such as the weather. Image being consciously in sync with the forces of the Cosmos and this planet—how different would our lives would be.

These concepts have been most helpful to me in my life. Sometimes I received a direct and clear answer while in meditation—and it was like a “knowing” that just came to me out of the blue! But as soon as I got it, I knew it was right. At other times I received nothing in the meditation but later the guidance came in a dream or a series of dreams. And sometimes, days went by until I felt that “knowing,” and knew the best decision. All of this is a part of our journey through soul growth and expanding our consciousness. It’s a marvelous journey that ultimate leads to enlightenment and that peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

10,500 BCE Era - The Celestial Blueprint
By Donald Carroll

In his trance state when Edgar Cayce was asked when the Great Pyramid of Egypt was built, he stated that its construction was from 10,490 to 10,390 BCE (reading 5748-6). I have written earlier about the stars in the sky during this ancient time frame (see blog article “The Stars Above, the Great Pyramid Below: 10,400 BCE, 12/16/11), but there is more… much more. The previous article had noted that the stellar asterism that we today call “the summer triangle” were circumpolar stars at this ancient time. This pyramid of stars could have been their north guide. The ancient Egyptians saw these as the “imperishable” stars, the stars that never set as they never fell below the horizon. According to Egyptian mythology, this is the place in the sky where the Ba (the personality) and the Ka (the life force) soul parts would, once united, go to dwell as immortal brilliant spirits called akhus or khus.

This time period around 10,500 BCE has drawn the attention of such researchers and writers as Adrian Gilbert, Robert Bauval, and Graham Hancock, all of whom have written about aspects of this celestial landscape and how it fits this olden time period. Their research suggests an alignment of the pyramids of the Giza plateau with the constellation Orion/Osiris. It also indicates that during this time the constellation Leo rose due east out of the horizon to meet and greet its counterpart on earth in the sphinx, which faces due east. Dr. Robert Schoch, a geologist and a geophysicist, has examined the Sphinx and writes that the Sphinx and its surrounding area date to at least 5,000 to 7,000 BCE, if not earlier. This is at least 2,500 years earlier than the date given to it by Egyptologists. Dr. Schoch has also written about evidence that an advanced lost civilization from this 10,500 BCE time period may have been destroyed, possibly from solar cataclysmic events.

I have discovered even more evidence that makes the celestial sphere at this 10,500 BCE period even more ideal and unique for the construction of the Great Pyramid and a Golden Age of ancient Egypt called Zep Tepi (the First Time).

The northern triangle of stars has already been noted, but they were not the only significant triangle of stars of that time framing the pyramid. In the far south of the sky was what we call today the Winter Triangle or Great Southern Triangle, another asterism of stars. This triangle consisted of Betelguese (Orion’s shoulder), Procyon, and Siruis. So, at this 10,500 BCE era, there was a far northern triangle and a far southern triangle of stars in the sky that are linked together by the Milky Way, which runs through both. These two triangles of stars were not only connected by the Milky Way, they mirrored each other in the ratios of degrees between the stars in each triangle. It was a ratio of 1-2-3, for both!

In simplest terms this means if you put a stick in the ground and sighted along it either due north or due south, then marked the spot on the stick that each of these two stellar triangles individual stars contacted the stick as they rotated past it, the ratio between these marks would be 1-2-3. These events and alignments only happen during this era.

Cybersky5 star map 10,440 BCE showing North and South triangles and Leo crossing from the EastLarger image >>

For the Egyptians this would have had significance in multiple ways. Pyramids are considered to be symbolic mountains, places where heaven and earth could come together. The Egyptian hieroglyph for mountain is “Djew,” which also represented the two cosmic peaks that supported the sky and were guarded by lion deities. The Djew hieroglyph was closely associated to the hieroglyph “Akhet,” meaning the “horizon.” Here the sun disk was put between the two cosmic peaks and during its east-to-west journey was also guarded by these lion deities. These hieroglyphs certainly seem to be describing the events in the sky. At this distinctive time, there is the constellation of Leo rising due east and traveling west across the sky, as does the sun, and during this same period you have cosmic triangle mountains, north and south, acting as pillars for the sky, connected by the Milky Way. Just as it is described by the hieroglyphs.

Djew (Mountain)

Akhet (Horizon)

These connected triangles are also an excellent representation of the pre-dynastic Egyptian serpent god, Nehebkau, who was sometimes represented as a snake with a head at each end. He linked together the kas and the bas, mentioned earlier, of the Egyptian soul. Nehebkau gave the people their true names and fed them with the milk of light, which was perhaps representative of the Milky Way. There is even more occurring in the sky that completes this cosmic tableau. It involves the zenith of the sky, the zenith being the point directly over one’s head or over an object on earth such as the Great Pyramid. The line that can be drawn from the Great Pyramid into the heavens is a third axis to join the north and south axis of the stellar triangles and the east-west axis of the constellation Leo’s journey.

During this ancient period, the galactic center, the thick bulge of the Milky Way, would have been directly overhead. By the zenith and next to this would be the starry asterism called the “Fish Hook,” the tail of the Scorpio constellation. This “fish hook” looks just like the Egyptian “Heqa” staff or shepherds crook of the pharaohs. This staff is also symbolic of the Kundalini forces. This shape is also the same shape of the Hebrew letter “lamed,” the 12th letter of the Hebrew alphabet; considered the center of the alphabet, it is the tallest letter, sometimes called “the heart of knowledge.” Lamed literally translates as ox goad, like a shepherds staff, and is drawn the same way. It later was drawn looking more like an upright cobra, which is fitting as well in its symbolism. Lamed, as a numerical value, is translated as the number thirty.

Further pursuing this zenith hook linked to the letter Lamed yields astounding results. The fact that the letter lamed also represents the number 30 directly above the Great Pyramid is very significant itself. Researchers have shown that the dimensions incorporated into the Great Pyramid represent 30 seconds of equatorial latitude and 30 seconds of longitude. Further the Great Pyramid is considered by many to be in the center of the land masses and is located at N 30 degree latitude and East 30 degrees longitude (actually 31 degrees E).

If you determine the height and width of the Great Pyramid by the unit of measure the Cayce readings state was used in its construction, that of 27.5 inch cubit, your result is 210 cubits for its height and 330 cubits for in width. The ratio of its height over its width gives you a result of 7/11. Keeping in mind the importance of the number 30 discussed here, the height equals 7 x 30 (210) and the width equals 11 x 30 (330).

What is created here is an amazing three-dimensional axis; north to south, east to west and up and down. This is an axis mundi depicting center of the earth and galaxy, in this case also a center of knowledge, where heaven and Earth meet.

Axis mundi

I think in an absolutely stunning design, the dates of construction given in the Cayce readings for the Great Pyramid have given us a time when the sky represents it and a philosophy towards perfection ideally. This is truly a celestial blueprint.

Donald B. Carroll spent his career working in Fire & Rescue, as a district chief, academy
instructor, and paramedic. During those 30 years, he raised a family and pursued the meaning
of life through extended study into the Cayce readings and other spiritual, scientific, and
philosophical materials. Today, he is a regular speaker and writer of metaphysical topics from
Cayce to the Kundalini. He spent 10 years researching and writing his latest book, Sacred
Geometry and Spiritual Symbolism: The Blueprint for Creationwhich unifies spirit and science through
geometry and symbolism (available for pre-order at ARECatalog.com). He is also an international tour
leader for the nonprofit Association for Research and Enlightenment, visiting sites of a spiritual
nature across the globe.

The Life-Changing Impact of the Cayce Work By Denise E. Farris

The Edgar Cayce readings have been life changing to me for many years, and the A.R.E. conferences and A Search for God study group equally life changing. One of my favorite Cayce readings talked about our “soul's purpose,” suggesting that instead of changing the world by yourself overnight, it might be just as simple as brightening the corner of one person you meet, every day. I remember my smile and sense of relief at seeing a task so achievable, yet collectively with such a powerful impact! Which leads me to the present ...

I recently attended the “Mindfulness” seminar at A.R.E. headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va. It was a great conference! The concepts were so powerful that I made an entire set of outline notes from each presenter to remind myself of those key concepts going forward. Many people attending the conference asked the question: “What if my current career is not in line with my soul's purpose? Should I quit?” Your leaders replied: “What do YOU think?” They explained each person must answer that question privately. I thought back to my own experience and realized that over a 30 year period, the A.R.E. studies gradually, but totally, reshaped my external life to balance with my spiritual ideal. I didn't even recognize this until the conference!

In 1996, I left a large law firm to start my own law practice. Although I hated litigation, nearly 95% of my practice consisted of it. I suffered a lot of stress-induced illnesses in those early years! During ebbs and flows over 17 years, my private practice slowly morphed from a full litigation docket into a practice that is small, varied, mediation-driven, flexible, and profitable. I start each day with meditation and am also able to do short meditations throughout the day when needed. I am able to take Wednesdays off and devote that day to balancing, meditation, and massage. Interestingly, my billable hours and revenues did not slip even though you would expect them to. I'm also able to provide pro bono (donated legal services) to various 501 (c)3 charities, many of which are either equine therapy or developmental riding therapy programs, or rehabilitation homes for mentally or physically disabled adults, or young adults just released from foster care. Nearly 90% of my litigation cases settle early and without trial. In many instances, the respective parties go on to do business with each other again. In early March, I will complete my American Arbitration Association training as an AAA mediator/arbitrator and look forward to focusing more and more on that side of my practice. I continue to work with small business and minority and women business owners on local, state, and national economic development programs and legislative advocacy training. In other words, without my even realizing it, my “dread” job turned into my “dream job”! It was so incremental that I (apparently!) didn't even realize it was happening until the A.R.E. conference on Mindfulness. Thank you, A.R.E., for the conference and its “mindfulness” reminder to recognize and appreciate that what we pray for, we may have received without even realizing it!

The conference also generated some amazing synchronicity during and immediately following the conference. Another conference attendee, learning I did a lot of legislative training work, told me about a book written by Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio called A Mindful Nation. I immediately purchased and read it on my return to Kansas City. The book's concepts, employing many of the Jon Kabat Zinn concepts taught at the conference, was just the source I was seeking for my desire to incrementally change the political dialogue. Two days after my return, I had to fly to meet with one of my expert witnesses, a commercial construction engineer that specializes in analyzing multi-million dollar commercial development claims. At dinner, I told him about recently completing the Mindfulness seminar in Virginia Beach and how impressed I was with the many concepts discussed. Imagine my surprise when he said he was studying materials by Lama Surya Das on the same issue. He couldn't believe I had just attended a conference with the Lama and was able to meet and talk to him in person!

My spiritual intention for 2013 is “deliberateness.” I can't wait to see where and what is delivered each day moving forward. I feel very blessed to have attended the conference, visited the headquarters after so many years, experienced a Cayce/Reilly® massage for the first time, and then been blessed by these multiple “what a coincidence” instances after the conference. I am so grateful to the A.R.E. organization and staff for continuing this important work.

When I think it has taken me nearly 30 years to write this letter to you, I imagine how many other nameless, quiet people have been touched by the lessons and by your work! Please remember how much good work goes on quietly to persons beyond your immediate knowledge. Keep it up, and “Thank you!”

Denise E. Farris, Esq.

Denise is the Managing Member of the Farris Law Firm, L.L.C. in Kansas City, Mo., practicing general business, commercial construction and equine law. The Firm enjoys Martindale Hubbell's highest “AV” rank for expertise and ethics, and Denise is listed among the national Preeminent Women Lawyers, the KC Business Journal's “Best of the Bar,” and Missouri/ Kansas “SuperLawyers.” Her practice emphasizes small business training, risk management, government contracting, and small and minority / women business economic development issues at the local, state and national levels. Denise is a frequent author and lecturer on the constitutional parameters of government affirmative action programs as well as unique government contracting vehicles. She has worked with the governments of Kansas City, Mo.; Unified Government Wyandotte County, States of Missouri and Kansas on each of their M/W/DBE programs over the past twenty years. In 2013, Denise launched “Perspectives Dispute Resolution, LLC,” a mediation and arbitration service utilizing the formal training and practice guidelines of the American Arbitration Association.

I first learned of Edgar Cayce over 50 years ago. I’ve been hooked ever since. My late father had started reading out loud from There Is a River. This was better than television.

Half a century later, and after two successful careers, I finally figured out what I wanted to be when I “grow up.” Edgar Cayce had given me a fascination for Atlantis. His readings had stirred lost memories. When finally I had started my third career as a writer, I chose to write about those memories.

Researching everything I could about human prehistory, I attempted to build the best possible back story for my novel. I reread Genesis and Edgar Cayce’s readings and studied anthropology and geology. And I made several startling discoveries.

Not only did I find scientific evidence that proved an Atlantis-like destruction event had occurred right when Plato said the island empire had subsided, I also uncovered geological evidence that tells us how Atlantis was likely created and inevitably destroyed.

Athanasius Kircher's map of Atlantis, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. From Mundus Subterraneus 1669, published in Amsterdam. Source: wikipedia.org

In my thousands of pages of notes, I found dates given in Cayce’s readings for two biblical events. Earlier, I had dismissed the dates as unimportant to my story. Both stood far beyond the era of my novel. One date—28,000 BC—told of Noah’s Flood and the Second Upheaval of Atlantis.

The prior date—10.5 million BC—talked of an early meeting of man. Was it humanity’s arrival on earth? Was this the time of Adam?

I should have known better not to be so dismissive, but everything I had learned in anthropology screamed “impossible.” This date placed humanity in the middle of the Miocene Epoch, when giants roamed the earth that would’ve made full-grown elephants look like miniature puppies!

Later, curiosity got the best of me, and I dedicated several days to the puzzle. If these dates were true, then the Bible might have some way of confirming them. I started by reading the Bible’s first few books. I had already found a knack for discerning patterns in data that had helped me confirm the possibility of Atlantis. Now, those same skills came alive as the details of the early Bible bristled with new energy. Something was here. I could feel it.

James Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He published a chronology that set the time for creation as the night before Sunday, 23 October 4004 B.C. Source: wikipedia.org

Numbers 14:34 suggested a multiplication factor. But what should I use? The early patriarchs already seemed impossibly old. How could their ages be far longer? And yet, science had already shown humanity to have been around at least 200,000 years. The old Archbishop Ussher timeline only went back to 4004 BC. Something wasn’t right.

Then, I spotted Genesis 5:2. Alarms went off. It talked of Adam as “them,” “male” and “female.” Could the names of Genesis 5 (from Adam and Seth all the way up to Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah) be both individuals and eponymous tribes? Suddenly, any shyness about giving them far longer ages vanished.

I found my factors, and they worked far better than I had anticipated. Any student of the Bible should immediately recognize the numbers “40,” “7” and “77.” Why these are the right numbers and how they are used take up several chapters of my current book. The calculated date for the Flood turned out to be 27,970 BC, while the creation of Adam came in at 10,434,130 BC. Both dates were a veritable bulls-eye—each within 1% of Cayce’s rounded approximations.

Rod Martin, Jr. has been a divinity student, a Hollywood artist with screen credit, and a software engineer with a bachelors degree, summa cum laude. He has co-authored, as Carl Martin, one novel with John Dalmas, Touch the Stars: Emergence (Tor Books), and has won first-place honors for his essay, “Outsiderness in the Scientific Community” (Krupnick Award) and his short story, “Toady” (Dutton Books Award). His Edge of Remembrance, a novel inspired by Cayce’s work, was self-published (Tharsis Highlands). Mr. Martin now lives in the Philippines as a writer and is currently working on a non-fiction book, also inspired by Cayce’s readings, The Bible’s Hidden Wisdom, God’s Reason for Noah’s Flood, which is the subject of a crowd funding campaign at IndieGoGo.Com. You can find out more about his art, software, websites and writing at TharsisHighlands.com.

An Answer to a Vital Question
By Barbara A. Derrick, PhD

Edgar Cayce was once asked whether it was possible to obtain information from the same Source that was available to him. His answer was simple and direct: “On any subject whether you are digging for worms or playing a concerto!” (1861-12)

It worked for me, in an unexpected way.

Once I had worked for months writing a story I knew was exceptional. Well researched, this story about the “Eye Bank” was prepared out of a spirit of service, but the publishers didn’t see the value I knew was present. After a number of rejection slips, I finally tucked the story in my vertical file and “forgot” about it.

Off and on, I thought about the story. The quality of research, writing, and presentation was excellent. Why wouldn’t it sell? Sixteen months later, I awoke one morning with instructions which came to me in a hypnogogic state (the twilight time between sleep and wakefulness): “Send the story to Guideposts.”

The message didn’t make any sense. I had already sent the story to Guideposts several months earlier, and Guideposts had turned it down. Still, the message was so strong that I decided to send the story anyway, hoping the editor who had rejected it before would not blister me in a return letter.

Once the decision was made to send the story, I dismissed my concern. Many times before, I had received instructions in the hypnogogic state, and no matter how illogical they were, these instructions usually had some positive benefit.

Several weeks later the article was returned, but this time with the manuscript there was an accompanying letter. A new editor’s signature was at the bottom of the page. The letter related how much he liked the story, complimenting me on the writing and research. Then, he dropped his bomb: “It just wasn’t right for Guideposts.” My heart sank. Another rejection. But, in the last paragraph he went on to say that this story appeared to him to be well suited to a magazine published by the AMA entitled Today’s Health. The story was so exceptional, he continued, that he would strongly recommend that I send it to the editor immediately.

To have an editor of one publication suggest another by name is highly unusual. The information about this magazine was new to me.
I sent the story to Today’s Health and immediately by return mail, I received an acceptance. I would never have thought of Today’s Health without some outside help.

My hope was that the story would be of service and as a result of the story’s appearance several people might become organ donors for their eyes to be used by others after their deaths.

I found that Edgar Cayce’s statement was true: It was possible to obtain needed information “On any subject whether you are digging for worms or playing a concerto!” (1861-12)

Barbara Derrick, PhD, a researcher, lecturer and writer on Edgar Cayce, is a counselor, family therapist, and mental health specialist who has successfully used a protocol suggested by Edgar Cayce to enhance and improve the lives of Alzheimer's patients. She has presented at the Edgar Cayce Health Symposium at Virginia Beach and her articles have appeared in Venture Inward magazine, available exclusively to Members by mail or online at
EdgarCayce.org/members.

The Biggest Mistake Most of Us Make on the Spiritual Path By Craig Hamilton

Many of us today are engaging in a tremendous amount of spiritual work on ourselves. We're meditating, praying, and attending workshops, seminars, and retreats. And yet the vast majority of us are making the same mistake. We tend to put far too much significance on the need to work out our personal psychological issues as part of our spiritual path.

It's important to recognize that this isn't our fault. This tendency grew out of our psychotherapeutic culture, which basically told us that we were all messed up by our childhood and that we have "inner wounds" that need to be healed in order to become happy and fulfilled as adults. And, as the great enlightenment teachings have been imported to the West, this psychotherapeutic worldview has gradually become superimposed onto the spiritual path.

The way this plays out practically is as follows: Let's say that I take up a spiritual practice in earnest, and I notice in the course of that practice that I'm deeply defended against life and intimacy. I won't let other people see me. I always wear a social mask that actually hides a lot of insecurity. Well, upon discovering this, as a psychologically informed modern person, my tendency is going to be to withdraw inward, to go back to my past, to start plumbing the depths of my psyche to try to find and uproot the personal causes of this fear and insecurity and tendency to hide myself from life.

But in an authentic spiritual context, we would point out that this "personal problem" you've discovered is in fact simply one of the basic, ordinary manifestations of ego. And, rather than sending you on an endless and pointless archaeological dig into your psyche, we'd simply encourage you to face directly into the Truth of what you were seeing, to see the psychological tendency clearly, and the motivations that are driving it in the present. Most importantly, we'd encourage you to make direct effort in the opposite direction of your habitual response. So, in this example, when you see yourself preparing to put on a good face, we would encourage you to instead take the frightening leap to be transparent and vulnerable.

Upon reading this, many psychologically informed experts will protest, asserting that, if it were that easy to change, everyone would have already changed and there would be no need for . . . well, no need for psychotherapy . . . And this is a perfectly reasonable response from someone who has had no experience engaging in the kind of spiritual practice I'm describing.

But what happens when we let go of this compulsion to work out our problems, and instead begin to directly engage in a path of active transformation like the one I encourage, is that we find suddenly that we have access to a part of our self that is already free from our ego's limitations and issues. It's a part of our self that was never wounded or traumatized, that doesn't need to be healed, that is already whole and complete, and has access to boundless energy, creativity, and positivity, and is completely ready to participate in life fully, boldly, passionately, holding nothing back. And, in this, we feel instantly connected to the heart of the spiritual thrust behind the cosmos.

Miraculously, what we find in doing this work is that when people awaken to and begin to act from this deeper, truer part of the self, then all of the psychological issues, blocks, wounds, complexes, and neuroses that would have taken years to work through suddenly seem to dissolve. Now, the truth is that they haven't dissolved. They can still be reactivated if we step back into the perspective of the ego. But in light of this newfound, higher potential, and the profound sense of purpose and meaning that comes with it, we discover a powerful reason to no longer fall prey to our "issues." Simply put, they are no longer interesting to us, and in that, they lose their power over our psyche. And that seems to make all the difference in the world. In this, we begin to discover the real meaning of freedom from the ego. And we learn that this freedom is not something we have to wait for. It can happen now if we're willing to give our heart and soul to it.

Reprinted by Permission from IntegralEnlightenment.com.

Craig Hamilton is the founder of Integral Enlightenment and a member of Deepak Chopra’s Evolutionary Leaders Forum, is a pioneer in the emerging field of evolutionary spirituality. He integrates decades of intensive spiritual practice with insights gleaned during his eight years as senior editor of What Is Enlightenment? magazine and 13 years with the EnlightenNext spiritual community. In his current work, he is helping to articulate an authentic evolutionary spirituality—an “integral enlightenment” which illuminates the vital relationship between individual transformation and collective evolution.

…There is no mystery to the transmutation of the body of the Christ. For having attained in the physical consciousness the at-onement with the Father-Mother-God, the completeness was such that with the disintegration of the body―as indicated in the manner in which the shroud, the robe, the napkin lay―there was then the taking of the body-physical form. This was the manner. It was not a transmutation, as of changing from one to another.

Just as indicated in the manner in which the body-physical entered the Upper Room with the doors closed, not by being a part of the wood through which the body passed but by forming from the ether waves that were within the room, because of a meeting prepared by faith. For as had been given, “Tarry ye in Jerusalem―in the upper chamber―until ye be endued with power from on high.”

As indicated in the spoken word to Mary in the garden, “Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” The body (flesh) that formed that seen by the normal or carnal eye of Mary was such that it could not be handled until there had been the conscious union with the sources of all power, of all force.But afterward―when there had been the first, second, third, fourth and even the sixth meeting―He then said: “Put forth thy hand and touch the nail prints in my hands, in my feet. Thrust thy hand into my side and believe.” This indicated the transformation.

For as indicated when the soul departs from a body (this is not being spoken of the Christ, you see), it has all of the form of the body from which it has passed―yet it is not visible to the carnal mind unless that mind has been, and is, attuned to the infinite. Then it appears, in the infinite, as that which may be handled, with all the attributes of the physical being; with the appetites, until these have been accorded to a unit of activity with universal consciousness.

Just as it was with the Christ-body: “Children, have ye anything here to eat?” This indicated to the disciples and the Apostles present that this was not transmutation but a regeneration, recreation of the atoms and cells of body that might, through desire, masticate material things―fish and honey (in the honeycomb) were given.

As also indicated later, when He stood by the sea and the disciples and Apostles who saw Him from the distance could not, in the early morning light, discern―but when He spoke, the voice made the impression upon the mind of the beloved disciple such that he spoke, “It is the Lord!” The body had prepared fire upon the earth―fire, water, the elements that make for creation. For as the spirit is the beginning, water combined of elements is the mother of creation.

Not transmutation of flesh but creation, in the pattern indicated.

Just as when there are those various realms about the solar system in which each entity may find itself when absent from the body, it takes on in those other realms not an earthly form but a pattern―conforming to the same dimensional elements of that individual planet or space.

“I Refuse to Accept This Limitation—God is My Source!” By Suzette Faith Foster

Q. Can healing be instantaneous or is it always progressive?A. The natural bent is progressive, but this does not indicate it may not be instantaneous. Edgar Cayce reading (443-6)

We all hold, whether tapped or untapped, the healing and manifesting potential of the mind, body and spirit. It took one experience for me to validate the depth and power of this potential in myself.

I had met up with my friends for our weekly mountain bike ride, which involved leaning into curves, riding over obstacles, and jumping piles of logs.

We reached a familiar teeter-totter, one we had mastered many times, riding up one side and down the other. Then we stopped and contemplated one much bigger that was new to the trail. I wanted to try it.

In mountain biking, speed is your friend. I pressed forward.

My front tire made contact with the teeter-totter. But next, I found myself barreling headfirst into the ground.

My neck snapped!

Lying there, I tried to move—but couldn’t. I tried to talk, but no sound came out. I was totally paralyzed.

Then I stopped breathing—the imminent death sentence.

Caught between life and death, my training instinctively emerged. Daily, I had practiced, as I now help my clients practice, spiritual and holistic healing principles. In that moment, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to walk my talk.

I had no movement, no voice, no breath. But I had everything I needed within me; I had my mind and my faith.

A short, powerful mantra that I used daily rushed forth. Still on the ground, motionless, breathless, I willed my body, emphatically: “I refuse to accept this limitation—God is my Source!”

Boom! What felt like a huge, pain-free lightning bolt coursed through me. I repeated, “I refuse to accept this limitation—God is my Source!”

A second bolt instantly went through me.

Miraculously, I regained my breath! My lifeless form had accepted the dance of my mind, body, and spirit.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived after 17 minutes and transported me to Duke Medical Center. An ER doctor told me that my full paralysis was the result of my totally severed C2 neck vertebra and a very serious spinal cord injury, the same injury that the late Christopher Reeve had suffered. Soon, friends and family arrived. I told them, “This is temporary. See me dancing.”

The surgery to reconnect my C2 was successful. But I was still left a quadriplegic. Unbeknownst to me, my doctor, Robert E. Isaacs, Director of Spine Surgery at Duke, prepared a friend by telling her, “Don’t expect much improvement in Suzette’s condition.”

I knew the profound healing I desired was my responsibility from the inside out. I did affirmations, visualizations, and meditations. I also listened to CDs that bathed me with healing-sound frequencies.

When I awoke from surgery, I refused pain medicine. I experienced no pain. They said I would be in ICU for 7-10 days. I said I would be out in two, and I walked out two days later. They predicted my hospital stay would be three weeks, minimum. I said I’d be out in a week, and I was. Appearing perplexed, Dr. Isaacs said, “People like you don’t exist.” He explained that most people with severe spinal cord injury die at the scene, because they stop breathing. I had stopped breathing. He said even the surviving few who don’t stop breathing are left quadriplegic. Yet I walked out of the hospital.

My passion and belief in the teachings and tools that I had learned thus far along my spiritual journey directly influenced my outcome. In hindsight, it was my commitment to my spiritual deepening that literally saved my life and allowed for my unexpected healing. I’m grateful for my practice of having energy healings and going within to shift my old programming, limited thinking, and emotional wounds. All these had raised my vibration; a vibration that magnetized me to my remarkable healing.

Within months, I was fully functioning: enjoying dancing, hiking, and yoga. I am blessed that I am living the emotional and physical freedom that mind, body, and spirit principles allow.

A year later, Dr. Isaacs wrote, “Considering Suzette’s spinal cord damage, her results surpassed medical expectations. The rapidity and completeness of her improvement is more than would be comprehended. So I’m trying to make sense of it in my mind.”

Suzette Faith Foster is a life coach, distance energy healing facilitator, transformational author and speaker. To read her full story and many other personal and client stories and to get inspired to delve deeper into your own spiritual journey, read Suzette’s book, Calling Back Your Power. Her Web site is Choose2Thrive.com.

A Message from Award-Winning Actress Diane Ladd

For decades, I have been a fan of the life’s work of Edgar Cayce. I want to take a moment to express why I think his gift is important and what it still means to us today.

Although there are literally hundreds of books about Cayce’s life and work, his amazing psychic talent, his insights into hundreds of topics from personal spirituality and ancient mysteries to holistic health and personal guidance, what stands out for me is that he made it abundantly clear that each and every one of us has a special gift.

For some, that gift might be serving as a wonderful and supporting parent. Some find a talent with counseling or teaching. Others might find it in avenues as diverse as business or even nature. There are many roles that people find in the healing professions. In my case, the gift that called to me has been the Creative Arts. There is something that each and every one of us is called to do—a role that perhaps no one else can fill as well as we can.

Cayce’s life is, in part, the story of a regular individual who had incredible access to universal knowledge and information. It wasn’t a gift that he readily accepted, at first. In fact, he was very reluctant to take on the role of medical clairvoyant but it was the efficacy of the information, and the way that he could see that the information helped people change their lives for the better that convinced him that his gift was a role that he needed to take on to help so many others.

There is a difference, in my opinion, between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is something that is too often changeable or something that might be important one moment and gone the next. Wisdom, on the other hand, is something that is relevant forever and a day. The Edgar Cayce information and his life’s work embodies wisdom.

Both the Cayce legacy and his gift of helping others endure even to this day. Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), the organization he founded more than 80 years ago, continues his vision of helping people to transform their lives for the better through ideas and information found in his psychic readings. On behalf of A.R.E., I invite you to consider joining Mr. Cayce’s organization so that you can come to know for yourself how his gift can be helpful in your own life—physically, mentally, and spiritually. You can read about the benefits of membership and explore a sample issue of Venture Inward magazine at EdgarCayce.org/join.

Diane Ladd is an American actress, film director, producer and author, having appeared in more than 300 roles, on television and film. She is the winner of 37 international awards including the British Academy Award, and is a three-time Emmy nominee and a three-time Oscar nominee for Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Coolidge’s Rambling Rose, and David Lynch’s Wild at Heart. Presently she is co-starring as the mother, Helen, in HBO’s hit show, Enlightened along with her daughter, Laura Dern, who stars as the incomparable Amy! The show also co-stars Luke Wilson as Levi. Diane’s latest book, A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake a collection of ten short stories, has received rave reviews. Learn more at www.DianeLadd.com.

Earth Changes Update By Laura Jackson

In the last two weeks of February, 2013, we have witnessed profound changes to the earth. There have been a record number (and magnitude) of earthquakes along the Ring of Fire, which encompasses the Santa Cruz Islands, Sumatra, Indonesia, Kermadec Islands, Japan, Chile, and Colombia. Tsunamis from the Santa Cruz earthquakes have washed away villages. The number lost? Unknown.

Mt. Etna -Wikimedia Commons.

We have seen increased activity at Mt. Etna, already an active volcano but cited in Cayce’s readings as a precursor to coming earth changes activity. There has been significant solar activity. A meteorite exploded over central Russia injuring an estimated 1,200 people. A Pope has "stepped down" from the Vatican for the first time in 600 years. And following the Pope’s announcement, lightning hits the top of the Vatican building. Coincidence? And not the least of which, North Korea detonated a nuclear device underground. Compounding North Korea's detonation is the close proximity to where four tectonic plates converge along the Ring of Fire.

Stellar flare -
Wikimedia Commons.

Some might ask, how are these vastly different events connected?

Where should I begin? Let me start by connecting the dots. As we interweave the prophecy of Edgar Cayce's readings, modern science, and quantum physics, we find a deeper, more connected understanding. It enables us to embrace this extraordinary time in which we live, putting pieces into perspective, including seemingly unrelated ones. Metaphysics is the lens through which we find greater understanding.

We have already entered the New Age. While it's not readily visible, it's more about how we choose to operate, interact, and move through these times. The old ways no longer work. It's apparent when we look around—evidenced in our banking system, our economic system, corporate dealings, our relationships, and in our physical and energetic bodies.

To better understand these seemingly disconnected events, I would like to share two insights. First, what we are witnessing is an outward manifestation of changes that we, and the earth, are undergoing. As divine co-creators, we know our inner workings can manifest in the outer world—the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty.

A second insight is that unless things—meaning people and businesses—transform, they cannot operate within the New Age. This New Age is an extraordinary time; an elevated level of consciousness with a feeling and knowing of the interconnectedness of all things. In the physical, it’s operating in a whole new way, where all of us are honored and all are equal. There is no hierarchy, there is only collaboration. There is no competition, there is only co-creation and cooperation. “All are equal—not only under the material law but under the spiritual.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3976-18)

Katie Walking Labyrinth
Wikimedia Commons.

We sit, straddling two worlds, knowing we are to choose to act and operate as if we are in the new. What we see however, is distortion rising to the surface, because it can no longer be hidden. Lack of integrity can no longer hide behind a mask. “Then if those in position to give of their means, their wealth, their education, their position, do not take these things into consideration, there must be that leveling that will come.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3976-19) We have a new operating system for the New Age, and when we use it, everyone wins!

So how do we move through our lives with more ease and grace during turbulent times? By using the tools we know about: exercising discernment, holding center, and practicing meditation. Now it’s about using them on a daily basis. “Take time first to be holy. Don’t let a day go by without meditation and prayer for some definite purpose, and not for self, but that self may be the channel of help to someone else. For in helping others is the greater way to help self.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3624-1)

And most importantly, it’s about taking responsibility for our individual thoughts and actions. Through the understanding of our interconnectedness comes the realization of our thought forms manifesting in our outer world. Yet we have the power to choose inner peace, to choose the divine flow, and transcend seeming chaos in the outer world. Have faith and know all is in divine order, in what Cayce calls the “Age of the Lily.”

Laura Jackson Laura Jackson is a speaker, author, and life coach. Through her company, Soul Action, she gives people the tools and knowledge to traverse all that is happening in our modern world. While Laura is emerging as a nationally-recognized speaker on earth changes, she also speaks on many other topics including metaphysics and meditation. Laura gives lectures and workshops around the country and has been featured in print, radio, and television. Visit her website to learn more at www.soul-action.com.

The Wisdom of the Dream Maker Within
By Barbara A. Derrick, PhD

Edgar Cayce, the most documented seer of the 20th century, made an extraordinary claim— anyone could do what he did. Not only did he make this startling claim, but he encouraged others to explore, research, and verify what he said.

While lying on a couch, Edgar Cayce could place himself into a trance and answer any question about any topic put to him using the technical knowledge and language of the finest scholar. The information, he said, came from the “Universal Consciousness” that runs like a river through time.

When asked if anyone could do what he did, his answer was, “All can do it.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3744-1)

How? “In the experiences in the earth, one only meets self. Learn then to stand oft aside and watch self pass by.”
(Edgar Cayce reading 3292-1)

Cayce gave this advice to 16 people under many different circumstances. I have applied this to my own studies, particularly of my dreams.

“In dreams…each individual soul…reviews or sees from a different attitude those experiences of its own activities.” (Edgar Cayce Reading 256-136)

In dreams, we view ourselves from a different perspective. What a gift—to see ourselves as others see us. When asked how dreams should be interpreted, Edgar Cayce said dreams are given for the better understanding of self. He answers that dreams “correlate those truths that are enacted in each and every dream that becomes a part of the entity of the individual to use (for the purpose of) better development; ever remembering that ‘develop’ means going toward the higher forces, or the Creator.” (Edgar Cayce Reading 3744-4) Often having this view isn’t pleasant, but it’s worthwhile.

I experienced this in my own dreams: I wanted a career in journalism and hoped my written work would help others and influence the world long after my death. A message came at the conclusion of a dream in which I could see myself walking down the beach looking for a treasure chest that contained my greatest gift to the world. I saw an obstacle obscuring my way to the treasure chest. Are there not always some obstacles we need to remove to reach the ultimate in our spiritual experience?

Only a corner of the chest was visible above the sand. I cleared the sand away and lifted the lid. Inside there were only pieces of paper containing some of my writings. My heart sank. How could this be of any use to anyone? This was nothing. Paper and the writing on paper were so fragile, so easily lost or destroyed. Worthless. I felt sick at heart. If this is all I have to leave to the world, I will have lived in vain. Suddenly the words came to me that I knew were coming from Christ, “I left only spoken words.”

My focus had been on what I wanted to leave to the world. My thoughts had never included leaving the harvest to a loving Creator.

Another dream alerted me to my own assessment of who I was:

I observed a child confined to a room. The child had bedsores and appeared “crazy” because she had been confined for so long. The air was stale with an unpleasant odor about it. I got the child out of the room and soon she no longer appeared “crazy” but was bright beyond belief. The child was attractive and learned rapidly once out of the room, cleaned up, and treated as if she were normal. Under good care, the child was exceptional. When it was time to take the child back, I wondered whether to report the situation to the authorities. I feared those in authority over the child would return her to the same environment.

At the time of this dream, I was launching into a new venture. Until this time, I had confined myself to my home and family, having accepted what I felt was the mandate to bury myself in service to my husband and children. Now, I was pursuing interests outside of the home. I applied to graduate school, a seminary. I felt like a child who had been confined to a room and not permitted to develop normally. Most of the people at seminary were professional people of one sort or another, and I felt “disabled” by not having more exposure to the world. I thought of myself as underdeveloped. I was the child in my dream. The dream assured me that the “child” was not only normal, but could be exceptional. My fear of returning to a confining environment was sparked by fear that perhaps I could not measure up at seminary and I would be sent home, never to venture into the world outside the home again.

The dream helped me. The child in this dream is an archetypal symbol. A child represents a new life, a new beginning. At seminary and thereafter, doors have opened for me, which never would have opened without this very first step.

So, in both of these dreams I saw myself as I had never seen myself before. I did, indeed, as Edgar Cayce said, “Step aside and watch self pass by.”

Barbara Derrick, PhD, a researcher, lecturer and writer on Edgar Cayce, is a counselor, family therapist, and mental health specialist who has successfully used a protocol suggested by Edgar Cayce to enhance and improve the lives of Alzheimer's patients. She has presented at the Edgar Cayce Health Symposium at Virginia Beach and her articles have appeared in Venture Inward magazine, available exclusively to Members by mail or online at
EdgarCayce.org/members.

Edgar Evans Cayce (1918-2013)
By Kevin J. Todeschi

Edgar Evans Cayce, the youngest son of Edgar and Gertrude Cayce, passed away peacefully on February 15, 2013.

Described as a renaissance man by those who knew him best, he excelled in both academics and sports. He was the Valedictorian of Oceana High School in 1935, and captain of the school’s football team. During World War II, he served his country as a captain in the Army Signal Corps.

Edgar Evans Cayce A.R.E. Library in Virginia Beach Va.

His earliest recollection of being helped by his psychic father was a physical reading given when he was seven. He was standing near a fireplace when a spark from the fire ignited the leg of his pajamas. The pajamas burst into flame but were quickly extinguished by his mother, who smothered the flames with a shirt. The accident caused serious burns from his ankle to his back. A remedy described in a psychic reading given by his father successfully treated the injury.

On another occasion, when Edgar Evans was in high school, he asked his father for information that would help him choose a career. The reading given recommended the field of engineering and said that he could get a scholarship from Duke University. He followed that advice, got a scholarship from Duke, and became an electrical engineer. He was a member of the electrical engineering honor society Eta Kappa Nu and had a 40-year career with Virginia Power.

Edgar Evans was an expert resource on Atlantis and authored Edgar Cayce on Atlantis and co-authored Mysteries of Atlantis along with two other books For many decades he was also a dedicated member of the Board of Trustees of the A.R.E., the organization founded by his father in 1931.

He was frequently asked to describe what it was like having a psychic for a father, to which his reply was that he didn’t feel it was all that different from having any other father. He described Edgar Cayce as being a loving husband and father, a great gardener, a very good carpenter, an enthusiastic fisherman, and someone who could talk to anybody.

Extremely fit and in excellent health well past his 90th birthday, Edgar Evans attributed his wellbeing to a healthy diet and exercise. Even while in his early 90s, he mowed his own yard and played volleyball three times a week.

Edgar Evans Cayce was predeceased by his wife (and high school sweetheart) of 69 years, Kat Cayce. He is survived by his two children, E. Evans Cayce (along with his wife, Valerie) and Gail C. Schwartzer (along with her husband, Joe), three grandsons, and four great-grandchildren. His family described him as a “direct, no-nonsense, engaged, multi-dimensional man who has always been about love, understanding, and acceptance.”

Edgar Evans and Hugh Lynn Cayce

The following excerpt from his high school address of 1935 epitomizes his life:

“Our real place in life can never be measured by external signs. It will depend upon how close has been our personal relation with our God; how much we give to others; and how much peace there is within as a result of knowing ourselves.”

Pope’s Resignation and the Papal Prophecies
By John Van Auken

Perhaps one of the best measurements of the progression of prophecies for our times is the succession of popes. Three different prophets are said to have given clear and measurable information about the predicted line of popes: Malachy, the Monk of Padua, and Nostradamus. With the announced retirement of Pope Benedict XVI, it is a great time to review these predictions.

St. Malachy ~ Wikipedia

In 1138, an Irish bishop named Malachy visited the Vatican where he fell into a deep trance during which he saw the reigning pontiff and the line of succession of 112 popes, followed by the final fall of the Church of Rome as we have known it. When he awoke, he wrote a complete manuscript on the vision, giving each pope a Latin motto. The manuscript was sent to the Vatican after Malachy's passing, where it was stored in secret archives until 1590, long after Nostradamus's death (1503-1566). Later, around 1730-40, a monk called “The Monk of Padua” wrote a manuscript listing a sequence of popes and the ultimate end of the papacy, which closely followed and used Malachy's mottos for the popes.

Of the 20th-century popes, Malachy called Pope Pius XII (1939-58) Pastor Angelicus, referring to his angelic shepherding of the church, which many inside and outside the church acknowledged. He was followed by Pope John XXIII (1958-63), whom Malachy called Pastor et Nauta, shepherd and navigator, perhaps referring to his position as Archbishop of Venice or his reconvening of the Ecumenical Council which used the symbols of a cross and a ship. After him came Flos Florum, Flower of Flowers, Pope Paul VI (1963-78) whose coat of arms contained a floral design.

After him came De Mediatate Lunae, the middle or half of the moon, Pope John Paul I (August 26 to September 28, 1978) who openly supported women’s rights and agreed to discuss artificial birth control. This is one of the shortest and most suspicious papal reigns in history as he was only 66 years old and in good health when he suddenly died. His body was cremated, against strict Catholic custom at that time.

Pope John Paul II, De Labore Solis, the labor of the sun, (1978-2005), was from Poland. J.H. Brennan, author of some of the best books on Nostradamus, points out that the part of Poland from which John Paul II came was originally a portion of ancient France, and therefore the following quatrain may refer to him:

Not from Spain, but from ancient France
He will be elected from the trembling ship
To the enemy he will make assurance
Who in his reign will be a cruel blight. 5:49

Brennan considers the trembling ship to be the church itself. The great enemy of Polish John Paul II would have been none other than the Soviet Union, and he made assurances to the Soviets concerning the workers strikes in Poland.

Malachy and the Priest of Padua predict only two more popes: Gloria Olivae (glory of the olive) and Petrus Romanus (Peter of Rome). Malachy’s descriptive phrase given to the 111th Pope, Gloria Olivae, the glory of the olive, does fit the current Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) who took the name Benedict from The Order of Saint Benedict, which is also known as the Olivetans from Jesus’ time on the Mount of Olives.

Coat of arms of the Vatican City. Wikipedia

The final petrus romanus, Peter the Roman, could be the return of St. Peter as the first and the last to rule the church (according to Roman theology—others and the Cayce readings say that James was the first leader). Bishop Malachy’s vision concludes with the end of the church:

"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End."

This Malachy prediction that the Vatican will be destroyed correlates with The Priest of Padua’s prediction that the holy center will be burned when the last pope sits on the throne. And then we have this from Nostradamus:

The great star for seven days will burn
A cloud will make two suns appear
The big mastiff will howl all night
When a great Pope changes his territory. 2:41

We shall see how all of this plays out on the stage of life. Some visionaries have seen the church continuing in a more enlightened form and even including women. The prophetic Mayan date of December 21, 2012, is now in the past. We are approaching the year 2038, which ends the timeline prophecy inside the Great Pyramid in Egypt. These years may be the culmination of a long cycle which results in much change in the world and the beginning of a long-sought new era.

MSNBC.com’s Nightly News website has reported that the same day Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, lightning struck St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the Catholic Church's center in Rome.

Cayce Hemorrhoid Remedy Taps Unexpected Source
By Todd Burgin

Hemorrhoid inflammation is a condition that up to 50 percent of people will experience in their lifetime. Mild cases are often resolved through a combination of increased fiber and fluid intake, rest, and over-the-counter medication to manage symptoms, while severe cases may be treated through surgery. Edgar Cayce, often referred to as the “father of holistic medicine,” outlined a variety of treatments for this condition, including massage and manipulation, enemas (with specific mixtures), and an ointment (originally known as Tim, and now available as Tibbex*).

Hemorrhoids were, according to the readings given on this condition, a symptom of problems in the body’s eliminations, which would then cause inflammation, pain, and sometimes bleeding. “Again we find the effects of these conditions in the eliminations through the alimentary canal, and in the effect produced in the sphincter muscular forces we find the folds in that portion of the system becoming irritated in the form of hemorrhoids that give the distress at times… And we would make local applications…for those conditions in the portions of the system affected by the hemorrhoids. Using the combination of properties found in Tim will bring bettered conditions.” (678-2)

In reading 294-24, Cayce gave the formula for the hemorrhoid ointment that became known as “Tim.” This reading, which was volunteered and not given in response to a suggestion, states that the formula should be used for treatment of inflammation in and around the rectum. “This to be used as salve or lotion for such conditions or abrasions, internal or external. Apply that to the body. We will bring better relief and relations to the whole physical body, with the action of the physical when in the subconscious or subnormal conditions.”

Massage and manipulation, along with dietary changes, were often recommended to treat the root cause of the problem. Enemas (or colonics) were suggested to cleanse the colon and create an environment more conducive to healing. And finally, the topical ointment, Tim, was suggested to bring immediate relief of the symptoms as well as promoting healing in the affected tissues. “For the condition as gives trouble in the rectum at the present time, we would use a solution or a salve of this character…” (953-9) Tim was even suggested for use after a medical procedure, “we find that AFTER such treatments by the proctologist, it would be well to use such an ointment as Tim for the CORRECTING of the conditions as related to the circulation in those areas.” (1540-1)

In a later reading, Cayce described a “better formula” to replace Tim. With these improvements he said the new formula “does relieve, and with the proper precautions in diet and in exercise will remove hemorrhoids and piles, and do good for old sores also—as leg sores… The directions would be to apply as an ointment to affected portions once or twice each day. Rest as much as possible after application, with the feet elevated above the head. It'll cure it!” (Edgar Cayce Reading 1800-20)

Tobacco Plant Wikipedia Photo credit: William Rafti of the William Rafti Institute

Interestingly, tobacco is one of the key ingredients of this formula. Though it is primarily associated with poor health today, and Cayce did frequently warn of the negative health effects that tobacco use and addiction cause, tobacco also has a healing history, as evidenced by its inclusion in this remedy. According to cultural literature, the Mayans used tobacco for asthma, insect bites, bowel complaints, fever, skin diseases, and urinary ailments. Native American tribes in New England would wash burns with a form of boiled tobacco, and to this day it remains a folk remedy for certain injuries and disorders.

According to Cayce, nicotine (which is present in every part of the tobacco plant and one of the most highly addictive compounds known) has an important quality of drawing out toxins (though it should not be used when the body is already eliminating toxins). “…for being over sensitive [he had been smoking too much], naturally the nicotine from the tobacco brings those poisons in system that must be eliminated, and when the body is overclogged (as such condition exists at present), this merely adds to that condition wherein distresses are produced.” (294-96) Modern studies have also indicated that tobacco contains anti-inflammatory properties.

Benzoin, another component of the “better formula” now known as Tibbex*, is a resin used as an antiseptic treatment for dry skin and as an expectorant for respiratory conditions, according to The Cayce Herbal (a collection of fact sheets on herbs recommended by Edgar Cayce, available at EdgarCayce.org/members as a resource in the Edgar Cayce readings database). Cayce recommended it as a component in inhalants (such as Herbal Breathing*) and in massage oils where it acted as “…a material aid to stimulating the superficial circulatory forces, and thus enabling the body to gain better control of the muscular forces…” The other key ingredient is Atomic Iodine*, which is electrified iodine often recommended by Cayce as an external antiseptic or, in minute doses taken under a physician’s supervision, as a thyroid supplement, according to the Cayce Health Database.

Tibbex*, a new offering from Baar Products, the Official Supplier of Cayce Care products, replicates this latter formula. “We’ve researched the beneficial historical uses and Cayce’s recommendations for tobacco to formulate a product that provides soothing relief to those suffering with hemorrhoids,” Bruce Baar, Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) said. “We are focused on manufacturing products that maximize the body’s full healing potential and are excited to introduce one of Cayce’s most unique and effective formulas. Tibbex has already begun to receive positive feedback and testimonials.”

"...I was delighted to hear that many of your customers have found Tibbex to be almost a miracle product in the healing of Hemorrhoidal conditions. I can only tell you, that has certainly proved to be true in my case. The relief from burning and itching occurred within an hour of applying the Tibbex Ointment and by the next day the inflammation seemed to be gone completely." - M.R., Rensselaer, NY

*Available from the official supplier of Cayce Care Products at Baar.com or 1-800-269-2502.

Todd Burgin is a freelance writer and editor and former associate editor of Venture Inward magazine.

The Fifth Root Race—In Ascendancy By PMH Atwater, LHD

There’s no getting around it: a sense of destiny permeates the young adults, teenagers, and children of our world. And there’s no culture or society devoid of sacred stories that predicted this—the rise and dominance of what is often referred to as the Fifth Root Race.

The term root race refers to the gene pool in the human family. In older, esoteric literature and in legend, terms like life streams, life waves, new people, or even advanced beings were used to describe groups of folks who were decidedly different from their parents and grandparents. The more there were, the more assuredly they bore the mark of evolution–physiological and psychological traits characteristic of gene mutation.

DNA alters over time as a result of how people respond to the needs and stressors of their environment; these changes can be accelerated if transformative events, such as near-death experiences and spiritual breakthroughs, occur in numbers large enough to jumpstart the evolutionary process. Once the new traits overspread land masses and population groups, a genetic “makeover”–a species-wide-alteration–can result. That shift is now happening. Think of it as an update within the human family.

Of the many versions of root races that have emerged, the most well-known are from Theosophy (through Blavatsky, Leadbeater, and Powell), and from Edgar Cayce. The Theosophical version names seven progressions of such evolutionary change, beginning around 18 million years ago with the entry of spirit into matter (the First Root Race) and ends around 8,000 years hence when humankind is said to transcend the need for schools and social structures like what exists today (the Seventh Root Race). Cayce, however, spoke of that initial appearance of the First Root Race as happening further back in time?around 4.5 billion years ago. Curiously, he pegged the rise of the Fifth Root Race between 1998 and 2015. No one knows why he never mentioned any other evolutionary leap beyond that.

The timespan applied to a root race is considerable. For instance, the Fifth, according to Theosophical records, covered the years 10,000 BCE to 3,000 BCE in right-brained megalithic cultures and 3,000 BCE to 2,400 CE in left-brained modern cultures. The prediction is that during this period consciousness separated into two hemispheres–East and West–would fuse back together; a global leap in species refinement. This prediction, together with Cayce’s approximate dates of 1998 - 2015 for the entry period, is enough to necessitate that we take a deeper look.

Toss the labels of indigo, crystal, starseed, rainbow, and psychic, as they mislead and exaggerate (also discard “golden indigos”). Then, bunch together the characteristics these labels supposedly describe, and you have the pattern of the “new” kids—a pattern around for a while in the gene pool of the human family that has finally overspread landmasses—and moved into ascendancy.

PMH Atwater, LHD, is one of the original researchers in the field of near-death studies, having begun her work in 1978, after having three such experiences of her own. In 2005, she was awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS), and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists (NATH), as well as an honorary degree in Therapeutic Counseling from a school in Sri Lanka. She is the author of several books including We Live Forever; Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story, and her latest Children of the Fifth World. She is a featured presenter at the upcoming 82nd Annual A.R.E. Congress— Building a New World from the Inside Out: Living Christ Consciousness in Virginia Beach from June 16-21, 2013.

For Our Soldiers
By Gail Sines

I’m a veteran. I spent 30 years serving in the United States Navy, retiring in August of 2003. I served in times of conflict, not war. We don’t call it war anymore. I served on four ships and was in the arena during Desert Shield/Storm, which I am sure was nothing like serving in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, or Afghanistan. Regardless, there were times when I experienced fear by just being on a ship in a dangerous atmosphere. I prayed a lot.

My father served in World War II as an engineer in the United States Merchant Marine Service. He served on transport ships that were mostly without protection of their own or of other ships or aircraft. I know that he was afraid, at times, because he told me. He hated going below decks into the engine room knowing his fate was sealed if they suffered an enemy attack. He prayed a lot.

Prior to the end of WW II, in November 1944, Thomas Sugrue (the author of the Edgar Cayce biography There Is a River wrote a letter to Edgar Cayce that was published in the A.R.E. bulletin. I rediscovered this letter while doing research for my Egypt group. It is as relevant today as it was then. We are still “in conflict,” if not war, around the globe. Everyone either has or knows a brother, sister, father, mother, son, daughter, relative, friend, or neighbor serving in defense of our country. Pray for them.

Dear Boss [Edgar Cayce]:

It is a week today since we sat with the radio turned on all through the morning and afternoon and night, hearing the first news of the invasion. Between the brief, tantalizing bulletins, that said so little and suggested so much, we prayed that not too many would have to be killed, not too many maimed, not too many blinded, shocked, disfigured; for they were dying for our sins — to save a liberty we imperiled by denying it to others…

On last Tuesday night at 11:15, I lay in bed listening to a broadcast from the invasion coast—one of those records made by the on-the-spot reporters… Charles Collingwood…said he was soaked through, that their landing craft was loaded with TNT, and that he was frankly nervous. The sound of firing was audible. He said, “I see a Naval captain stopping to look curiously at my rig. Perhaps I can get him to say a few words. Will you come over, Captain?” Then I heard a voice—a voice very familiar to me—say, “I'm not a captain. I'm just a lieutenant, but after you've been on this beach a little while you look like almost anything.”

“It's Jerry! Jerry Danzig!” I said to Mary. We listened closely. There could be no mistake—the phrasing, the choice of words, the laugh, all were Jerry's. But he sounded so calm, so matter-of-fact, that I could hardly believe he was not standing beside me, instead of supervising the unloading of a batch of dynamite on the invasion beach of Normandy, with shells dropping all around him…

Over the invasion coast the bombers flew. In one of them, two boys named Jim and Joe crouched at their guns—one in the top turret, one in the waist of the ship. They had come to see me before their crew left Drew Field in Tampa, to fly overseas. They were nervous, Jim particularly so. Both had been in England and completed the allotted 25 missions. They had returned to this country with the understanding that their combat days were over—they would be used to instruct. But there was a shortage of men; after a furlough and a stay at a rehabilitation center, they were assigned to a new crew—a green crew—and a new ship.

Their nervousness came from their feeling that they had run out of their luck. Joe's bomber was the only one left after 25 missions over Germany, the lone survivor of its squadron. Could he hope for the same good fortune again? Jim was even more depressed. He was one of five brothers, all in the service. Two had been killed; one had returned home, blind. He believed he had survived 25 missions because of the skill of his pilot; now he would have a new one, a green one…

“Well,” I said, “You can't lose. You're holding a royal flush. If you get back, the world is yours, and you will have memories to make the rest of your life rich. If you don't come back, you go over to the other side with money in the bank. Few of us get a chance to die for a good cause—with most of us it is a selfish lingering, and if we leave behind anything but our insurance we are lucky.

“The only important thing is the pattern. The body is a mess of atoms grouped around the pattern, the way iron filings group around a magnet. Take the magnet away and they are free to do as they please again. Your plane isn't much good without its crew. The crew is the pattern.

“Once a pattern is free, it can operate in other places—look at the sky when you're on a night run. Every star is a sun. There are more worlds than there are people on this earth. On some of them, things will be easier. We may not have to eat, or dig ditches. Our bodies may be lighter. Instead of taste, smell, hearing, touch, and sight, our five senses may be love, kindness, humility, appreciation of beauty, and longing. If so, there would be things for them to exercise upon, as there are things here for us to exercise our eyes and fingers and ears and nose on. Wouldn't that be wonderful—to taste love the way you taste a steak, to smell beauty the way you smell a flower, to touch humility the way you stroke a kitten, to hear longing the way you hear the wind, or music?

“Those worlds are in all stages of evolution. They need strong, brave souls, to do the things necessary for their unfoldment. You boys would qualify—a world may need a Columbus to discover new continents, an Edison to discover electricity, a Washington to free a nation, a Wright to discover the airplane. You might get the assignment. You would deserve it.”

I talked on in that vein, watching their reactions. Slowly their imaginations took fire. They were unmarried, young, adventurous—I painted a picture of the cosmos which sounded as attractive as the Wild West was to me in my boyhood. They began to make comments, to ask questions, to joke about what they would be and where they would go, after death.

“This place,” I said, “is just a mudball. I'll be glad to leave when my work is done. But I want to be sure the work is done, and done well, before I go, otherwise I'll be demoted instead of promoted. That's where you fellows have a sure bet. You take the sins of the world on your shoulders when you fly into battle.”

Our soldiers now are facing death, with clear eyes, strong hearts, and serene spirits. Can we face them in the same high way when they come back? If we have been about Our Father's business we can.

Thomas J. Sugrue (1907–1953) was an outstanding writer, authoring seven exceptional books and
hundreds of articles. He sought the help of psychic Edgar Cayce for a rare arthritis disease for which
conventional treatments were not working. He entered Cayce's home an invalid and left walking in
October of 1941. It was during this time that he wrote There Is a River, the only biography of Edgar
Cayce written during Cayce's lifetime and the book that made the psychic a household name in 1942.
Visit EdgarCayce.org/radio to listen to a lecture podcast from the archives on from our Radio Show
Reflections.

Mickey’s All-Inclusive Miracle
By Barbara A. Derrick, PhD

Mickey, an inmate serving a life sentence at a South Carolina maximum security prison, was going blind. The Department of Corrections had paid for one cataract operation, which now had clouded over. The other eye had its problems as well with a newly formed cataract of its own. Mickey was legally blind.

The warden said the state would not pay for further medical help. Mickey was working in the chaplain’s office and functioned in that capacity after the chaplain left each day. But, after nightfall, he could not see in the darkness. Those who needed help after dark were out of luck.

I was a volunteer chaplain at this prison. I wanted to help Mickey but I could not do it alone.

An Edgar Cayce Study Group that met weekly in my home became interested. We discussed what could be done. The warden was creating more obstacles than necessary. Why?

We set out to work through the obstacles we knew were standing in the way.

Word went out about Mickey’s need for surgery. Generous and caring people sent money toward the surgery. Money accumulated from people who wanted to see a blind inmate, who was doing remarkable work with other inmates, regain his sight. Individuals helped. When the Lions Club found out about Mickey, they helped too.

Hearts were opening for an inmate, who had made a mistake in the past and was now serving others.

We located an ophthalmologist who agreed to do the work. This respected surgeon did not shrink from having a beige uniformed prison inmate with a brown stripe down his pant leg in his reception room. Mickey was shy and didn’t want to appear in public wearing shackles and accompanied by two armed guards. The surgeon’s acceptance of Mickey helped. Mickey had to do what he had to do. Without the surgery, he could be of no service to others. The surgeon could render him functional again. That was his dream and ours.

We were about to witness a miracle that fanned out in more directions than we could have imagined.

I called the warden’s office. All the details had been worked out. The date for the medical pre-op appointment was made. The local police officers were ready.

Mickey watched the minutes of the wall clock tick toward 9 a.m. Any minute now the local police would arrive to take him to the appointment. He would be shackled, hand and foot. But Mickey could do it now, thanks to a magnanimous surgeon.

At 8:45 a.m. Mickey received devastating news. The warden ordered the operation stopped.
Once again we coordinated a new time for the procedure. I again notified the warden’s office. But for a second time, the warden stopped the operation on the very day the appointment was set.

We were astounded. Why? It would take a miracle to help Mickey restore his sight.

From the grapevine we heard the reason. The warden was resolute. “No woman is going to tell me what to do.” He misunderstood our intentions. We were trying to help an inmate who could not help himself.

But we had overlooked the warden’s need. We looked at the situation. The warden was expressing his need to be respected. He had worked his way up through the ranks to the prison’s highest position. He needed to exert his authority. Although we thought we had checked with him all along the way, the focus had been on Mickey. Apparently the warden needed more. Now, what could we do to help?

The Warden was hurting.

Our Edgar Cayce group knew from the Cayce readings that prayer was beneficial. We formulated a 30-day prayer for our group to use at the meetings and for each member to use daily: “May the highest and best be done for the warden.” We each wanted the best for the warden.

In less than three weeks, something startling happened. Suddenly, the warden retired. He was leaving a system where he was unhappy. We rejoiced. He was getting what he wanted, and we were glad. If we could not help Mickey, we could help heal the warden’s wounds.

A new warden was in place. We contacted him to see if there would be any objection to our continuing our efforts to help Mickey.

“No, of course not,” came our answer.

Plans were formulated again. All went without a hitch.

When Mickey came from the operating room, he was staring at the wall, transfixed by the floral pattern he saw there. He had been unable to see details of any kind for months. He was captivated with the design on the wallpaper. To him the wallpaper’s simple floral pattern was exquisite.

So we lifted our grateful hearts. The loving Creator had healed wounds we did not know about. A hurting warden had been helped, and the way for corrective surgery for Mickey had been cleared.

Mickey’s miracle was all inclusive.

Barbara Derrick, PhD, a researcher, lecturer and writer on Edgar Cayce, is a counselor, family therapist, and mental health specialist who has successfully used a protocol suggested by Edgar Cayce to enhance and improve the lives of Alzheimer's patients. She has presented at the Edgar Cayce Health Symposium at Virginia Beach and her articles have appeared in Venture Inward magazine, available exclusively to Members by mail or online at
EdgarCayce.org/members.

Astrology vs. Free Will By Raye Mathis

In the Astrologer's Corner of the Oct-Dec 2012 issue of Venture Inward magazine, I noted the following:

Here we go again. Mercury will change direction, turning retrograde (Rx), on election day, November 6, 2012. Remember the Bush-Gore election in 2000 with the "hanging chads" and vote recounts? Mercury also changed direction on election day 2000. ... In the 2012 election there could be a possible breakdown in communications, even recounts, or irregularities that might eventually have some court involvement (Mercury will be in Sagittarius, ruler of the courts).

Well, the 2012 election is over, and the public did not see recounts or court involvements, but does that mean Mercury Rx was not an influence?

There was some definite confusion on Election Day, with long lines and some delays—especially with Florida's returns. David Letterman cracked a joke after the election about a 98-year-old woman who had voted for the first time in this election...but she had been in line since she was 78.

In addition, a little published fact about the actions of Mitt Romney provides an excellent example of how the use of the free will can change and negate the influences of astrology (although I assume that Romney had no knowledge of the Mercury Rx).

The Cayce readings emphasized over and over that the study of astrology can be helpful to everyone, but it never supersedes the power of free will. In the words of astrologer Dennis Harness PhD, "astrology is a 'choice revealer,' not a 'choice maker.'" Astrology shows influences only, but we still retain our free will to look at the choices that are revealed and make the most constructive choice we can.

An article titled "The Moment When Mitt Romney Knew He Had Lost" by Josh Voorhees was spotted by one of my clients and sent to me after the election. An excerpt from the article goes like this:

"Late Tuesday night, Karl Rove made quite the show of challenging Fox News' 'projection that President Obama had won Ohio, and thus a second term in office. Mitt Romney's staff was likewise ready to deploy to the Buckeye State and a trio of other battleground states to challenge the election-night tallies. For a moment, however brief, a prolonged political and legal fight over who had won the election appeared well within the realm of possibility... But then, Mr. Romney quietly decided it was over. 'It's not going to happen,' he said.'"

The possibility for this election ending up in court was clearly indicated in astrology by Mercury Rx in Sagittarius, and according to this report, the option was presented to Romney by Carl Rove and his staff. But Romney, using his free will, as the Cayce readings so often emphasized as the only way to work with astrology, made a different choice.

No matter what our own personal political beliefs are, we can recognize that an astrological influence was present, but the free will of a human overrode it.

RAYE MATHIS is a faculty member at Atlantic University where Transformational Astrology is among the courses she mentors. She has a BA in mathematics, a Master's degree in clinical social work, and has completed post-graduate work at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. She has maintained an on-going astrological counseling practice for almost 40 years. Her column, The Astrologer's Corner, appears in the A.R.E.'s Venture Inward magazine available exclusively to Members by mail or online at EdgarCayce.org/members. Beginning Wednesday, January 30, 2013 Raye Mathis will be mentoring a 4-week online eGroup titled Discover Your Life's Purpose Using Astrology as Your Guide. For more information, visit EdgarCayce.org/egroups.

A.R.E. to Launch New “Ask the Angels” Column

Beginning with the April-June 2013 issue of Venture Inward magazine, we will add a psychic Q&A column!

Psychic Kim O’Neill, who is also the author of The Calling: My Journey with the Angels (published by 4th Dimension Press, an imprint of A.R.E. Press) has offered to respond to your queries. All we need now are your questions!

Kim, who has been a professional psychic for over 20 years, has been writing an “Ask Kim” column for a Texas publication called Indigo Sun for eight years. She has volunteered her services to show her appreciation for A.R.E.’s members and supporters.

Kim will choose at least one personal and one general question per column/magazine issue and report the answer given to her by her angel guides. Her column will then appear in every issue of Venture Inward.

Just send your question to letters@edgarcayce.org. Be sure to include your first name, first initial of your last name, age, and location of your residence (city/state/country).

Kim O’Neill, voted Houston’s Top Psychic by Houston Press Magazine, has been a psychic channel for over 24 years. She conducts private channeling sessions for an international list of clients from all walks of life—physicians, attorneys, entertainment professionals, religious leaders, fellow psychics, and many more. Her “Ask Kim” column is a prominent monthly feature in Indigo Sun Magazine. She has established international motivational seminars and workshops designed to help people transform their lives and develop greater spiritual. She is a frequent guest on radio and TV talk shows, providing accurate and specific psychic information covering a wide range of topics. She is also the author of the best-selling book How to Talk with Your Angels. Kim lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and their two children.

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Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. blog offers opinion pieces from contributors with a wide variety of backgrounds. These opinions are valued and create points of discussion. Opinions expressed in our blog may not necessarily represent the opinion of A.R.E.